Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Paul Durand-Ruel, Paris (acquired from the artist on August 28, 1891)
Mme. de La Chapelle, Paris (acquired from the above on January 31, 1934)
Étienne Bignou, Paris
Lefevre Gallery, London (acquired by 1934)
Mme. J.B.A. Kessler (acquired from the above)
Sale: Christie's, London, June 25, 1990, lot 12
Private Collection (acquired at the above sale)
Acquired from the above in 1993

Paris, Durand-Ruel, Tableaux, pastels, dessins par Renoir, 1920, no. 73
London, Lefevre Gallery, Renoir, 1935, no. 6
Montreal, Scott & Sons, French Paintings, 1936, no. 15
Glasgow, Reid Galleries, French XIXth and XXth Century Paintings, 1937, no. 48
York, York Art Gallery & London, Wildenstein & Co., The Kessler Collection, 1948, no. 28
Amsterdam, E.J. van Wisselingh & Co., Maitres français des XIXth et XXth siècles, 1962, no. 31

Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Renoir, Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, vol. I, Paris, 2007, no. 642, illustrated p. 603

The work is drum mounted (glued at all edges) to a heavy cardboard, common during the work's time period. There is a noticeable light stain. At the left, above center and at the upper left are three spot stains that had been covered with pastel which has worn away to some extent. Also at the left, below center is an area of light color, possibly thin watercolor. Weak foxing spots are seen along the left side and at the bottom – left of center. The paper has a small damaged area (approx. ½ X ½ inch) at the bottom edge left, where the piece had been bumped leaving some small tears and detached bits of paper as well as an indented area in the board's edge. Along the edges runs a bead of glue and a number of tiny crimped bits of paper. The pigment is quite fresh, strong and is not abraded.The above report was prepared by Alan Firkser of Paper Conservation Inc., an independent conservator who is not an employee of Sotheby's.
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.

Jeanne Samary, an acclaimed actress at the Comédie-Française, was Renoir’s muse from 1877 to 1880, during which time he painted over a dozen portraits of her, including Portrait de Jeanne Samary en pied, now a part of the State Hermitage Museum’s collection in Saint Petersburg (see fig. 1). The present work is a wonderful, light-filled pastel that speaks to both the sitter’s beauty and the fluidity and ease of Renoir’s manipulation of the medium. The delicacy of the flower held in the sitter’s hand adds to the sensitivity of the work. While the two would part ways in 1880, after Samary's marriage to Paul Lagarde, the series of works by Renoir featuring the actress continues to exemplify one of the loveliest and most evocative moments of the artist’s career.

 

Fig. 1 Pierre-Auguste Renoir, La Petite Samary en pied, 1878, oil on canvas, State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg

Fig. 2 Jeanne Samaray in costume for the "Cérémonique Turque" from Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme, Private Collection