Émile Munier

Sale: Christie's, London, October 13, 1972, lot 339, illustrated
Private Collection, United States
Acquired from the above circa 1980

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This work has been recently restored. While some areas of the picture are well preserved, other areas have developed some discoloration and abrasion that have required retouching. Under ultraviolet light, these retouches can be seen in the male figure's face, chest and left hand and along his right arm and hand, as well as in the neck and left arm of the female figure. There are also some retouches in the sculpture in the upper right, but it is mainly the blue / green robe worn by the male figure which has attracted the bulk of the retouches, with some retouching extending into his legs. The background was cleaned less than the surrounding area, but there may be retouches beneath an older varnish. The restoration is very good. The picture looks excellent and should be hung as is.
"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."

Émile Munier began exhibiting paintings at the Paris Salon in 1869, and by the late 1870s, when the present work was painted, he was well-established and had carved a distinctive niche for himself within the circle of artists around William Bouguereau, widely acknowledged to be the chef-d’école of high academic art. For Munier, well-drawn, subtly colored scenes from the lives of children or the escapades of playful cupids provided a highly rewarding focus to a career.

This large canvas is a fine representation of his art and the influence that Bouguereau, his teacher, had on his treatment of the figures, and in the classical allusions of the subject. This young shepherd and maiden play in front of a herm in the likeness of Pan, god of the wild, fields, hunting, music and a companion to nymphs, and connected to fertility and the season of Spring.