William Bouguereau

Goupil & Cie., Paris (acquired directly from the artist on December  6, 1873, no. 8564, as Tricoteuse italienne)
Goupil, The Hague (acquired from the above on  March 20, 1874, according to an invoice from  May 1874)
A. Poortman, Holland (and sold, Roos, Amsterdam, May 21, 1901, lot 16, as La Jeune Tricoteuse)
Mr. Waldorp (private collector)
Private Collector, Holland (probably acquired from the above and since the early 1900s)
Thence by descent to the present owner (grandchild of the above)

Charles Vendryès, Dictonnaire illustré des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1885, p. 49
Marius Vachon, William Bouguereau, Paris, 1900, p. 151
Mark Steven Walker, "William-Adolphe Bouguereau, A Summary Catalogue of the Paintings," William-Adolphe Bouguereau, L'Art Pompier, exh. cat., Borghi & Co., New York, 1991, p. 69
Damien Bartoli with Fred Ross, William Bouguereau, Catalogue Raisonné of his Painted Works, New York, 2010, p. 153, no. 1873/13, (with incorrect dimensions), illustrated p. 152

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting has an old wax lining, which is stabilizing the paint layer although the cracking in the headdress is slightly raised. The painting has been lightly cleaned recently, and certainly looks well. There are probably remnants of old dirt still clinging to the surface, which is particularly visible in the white blouse. Further cleaning is not necessarily recommended. Under ultraviolet light, patchy remnants of old varnish are visible. There is also an area in the center of the right background in the edge of the headdress, which may have been repaired or simply cleaned more than the surrounding area. There may be retouching in this area as well. There seems to be a retouch in the headdress above the ear, and another in the red portion of the headdress at the top. However, the period of the picture and the quality of the paint are certainly excellent and the condition is extremely good.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Shortly after Bouguereau completed Tricoteuse, in 1874, Goupil transferred the painting to their gallery in The Hague and sold it to the Poortman family. Tricoteuse has remained in The Netherlands ever since and with the same family for nearly a century.

No doubt with the help of his powerful dealer, Goupil, Bouguereau was being acquired by many collectors in The Netherlands at this time. In May 1876, the Dutch King William III invited Bouguereau and other artistic greats such as composer Franz Liszt and artists Jean-Léon Gérôme and Alexandre Cabanel, to stay with him at his palace and Bouguereau describes the experience in a letter to his wife, Nelly:

“Gérôme and Cabanel are hastening our departure, and I intend to take advantage of this; for however pleasant and gracious our stay here, now that we have paid our respects and they have been accepted, I am impatient to return to my family and studio… The King is charming, as kindly as could be, with special affection for the French, and for artists especially. We are twelve guests here… Our time is particularly poorly divided. Until midday we are left completely free, and then we sit down to lunch with the King. This lasts rather long, for on Friday we were there till 3 o’clock. A little stroll with the King, and conversation until 5 o’clock; evening dress and dinner from 7 to 10, with both instrumental and vocal music in His Majesty’s little theater. At 10 we return to the salons, and by 11:30 or midnight everyone is in bed. Yesterday the King presented me with a signed photograph of himself. I think it is the only autograph I shall be able to bring back to my dear Zézette, to whom I am most grateful for serving as my general secretary. Cabanel has been made a Commander in one of His Majesty’s Orders; as for myself, nothing has been mentioned, so I may well come home a Chevalier as before; but you will understand that there is nothing I can do about that.” (as quoted in Bartoli and Ross, William Bouguereau: His Life and His Works, New York, 2010, p. 241)

Tricoteuse would certainly have contributed to Bouguereau’s reputation at the highest levels of Dutch society. An enduring image of a peasant woman in Italian costume, it is one of the first examples on the theme of knitting, which he returns to throughout his career. The dramatic interior lighting and his refined brushwork and flawless painted surface, this painting recalls the influence of Raphael on Bouguereau, and his deliberate idealization of the every day. Every detail is given equal treatment here, from the soft and subtle ruching and embroidery of her sleeve, to the hard gleam of glass beads and gold jewelry, to the warm tones of her carefully modeled face and hands.