Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Dr. Ferdel
Mme Soder
Wally Findlay Galleries, Inc., New York
Acquired from the above in 1971

The canvas has been lined and the extreme edges have been taped. The colors appear fresh and extremely vibrant. Under UV light: nailhead-sized spots of inpainting are visible at each corner and scattered along the extreme edges, as well as in a few spots above the cup at right and in the upper left background. In raking light these small areas of restoration are somewhat visible to the naked eye, and their appearance might be less obvious with conservation. Certain pigments fluoresce. The work is in good condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Téodor de Wyzewa wrote in reference to Renoir's oeuvre, "And there are, in all the arts, men of a different kind, who not only see and feel things differently from ourselves, but who, by instinct, feel and see things as more beautiful, with more light, or color, or purity and harmony. Involuntarily, inevitably, they transfigure the objects they perceive; and their works do not give us the impression of reality at all, but ravish us with a mysterious and delightful beauty.  All these painters move us only because external things appear more beautiful to them than to the rest of mankind, that is, more bedecked with an indefinable grace to whose allure, sooner or later, we shall succumb. Renoir is one of them" (in Peintres de Jadis et D'Aujourd'Hui, Paris, 1903, p. 222).

Renoir’s still lifes are filled with a sense of sensuality and lushness of color that many believe has never been replicated. His profound skill of taking the commonplace and transforming such objects into cause for celebration and obsession led to the production of works that are instantly recognizable as created by Renoir's dexterous hand.  Through such complete control of light and color he successfully was able to impart a different expression and essence on the quotidian. He once commented on the freedom which he found in the genre: "What seems to me most significant about our movement [Impressionism] is that we have freed painting from the importance of the subject. I am at liberty to paint flowers and call them flowers, without their needing to tell a story" (quoted in Peter Mitchell, European Flower Painters, London, 1973, pp. 211-12).