Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Estate of the artist
Private Collection, France (acquired before 1950)
Thence by descent

Bernheim-Jeune, ed., L'Atelier de Renoir, vol. I, Paris, 1931, no. 51, illustrated pl. 21
Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Renoir, Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins & aquarelles, 1895-1902, vol. III, Paris, 2010, no. 1938, illustrated p. 14

Work is in very good condition. Canvas is lined and edges are reinforced with tape. Surface has recently been lightly cleaned is has a layer of varnish. Under UV light: a few specks fluoresce around the lower corners but appear to be uneven varnish rather than possible restorations, otherwise fine.
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.

Beginning in the 1880s, Renoir increasingly strayed from the established techniques of Impressionist painting. He felt that the spontaneous application of pigment, without the aid of preparatory sketches or premeditated composition, led to work which lacked the monumentality and permanence which marked truly great art. In the later years of that decade he sought to re-align draughtsmanship with painting and underpin the rendering of a specific view under fleeting conditions of light with a well-controlled composition of receding perspective and balanced forms.

Renoir was determined to create paintings which would rival those of the old masters. Though he frequently scraped down his canvases in frustration, his confidence never waivered, as evidenced in a letter to Bérard on October 18, 1886: "I believe I am going to beat Raphael, and that people in the year 1887 are going to be amazed" (quoted in Barbara E. White, Renoir: His Life, Art and Letters, New York, 1984, p. 166).