Gustave Caillebotte

Ambroise Vollard, Paris

C. Hoogendijk, Le Havre (and sold: Muller, Amsterdam, May 21-22, 1912, lot 4)

Comte Arnauld Doria, Paris (acquired circa 1936 and sold: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, April 12, 1943, lot 93)

Hirschl & Adler, New York (acquired circa 1954)

Private Collection (acquired from the above)

Private Collection, Palm Beach (by descent from the above and sold: Sotheby's London, February 5, 2001, lot 9)

Acquired at the above sale

Paris, Galerie Guy Stein, Des fleurs et des fruits, 1936, no. 58

Paris, Galerie Charpentier, Les Fleurs et les fruits depuis le Romantisme, 1942, no. 23

Paris, Galerie Beaux-Arts, Gustave Caillebotte, 1951, no. 52

Detroit, The Detroit Institute of Arts, The Two Sides of the Medal. French Painting from Gérôme to Gauguin, 1954, no. 81b

Marie Berthaut, La Vie et l'oeuvre de Gustave Caillebotte, Paris, 1951, no. 181

Marie Berthaut, Caillebotte, Sa vie et son oeuvre, Catalogue Raisonné des peintures et pastels, Paris, 1978, no. 241, illustrated

Marie Berthaut, Gustave Caillebotte, Catalogue raisonné des peintures et pastels, Paris, 1994, no. 255, illustrated p. 169

Good condition. The canvas is strip-lined. There are a couple of spots of retouching above the flowers, one tiny spot in the upper right edge, one to the left of the green vase and another below the blue and white vase. There are also some very small spots of retouching in the white flowers farthest to the right and a thin line of retouching in the pink flower, all visible under ultra-violet light.
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.

Although horticultural subjects dominated his art during the later part of his career, Caillebotte only began to paint still-lifes of flower arrangements in 1881.  Turning his attention away from depictions of the Parisian landscape, Caillebotte began to spend a significant amount of time considering the lush environs of his newly renovated country home in Petit Gennevilliers. Throughout the 1880s and up until his death in 1894, his artistic concentration was focused on gardens and floral motifs, which were no doubt inspired by his surroundings. Caillebotte's genuine love for flowers resulted in a series of rich compositions that, according to the contemporary critic Gustave Geffroy, "colored and perfumed the atmosphere.” 

In this picture, Caillebotte conveys the sensuality of his subject by creating sharp textural contrasts throughout the composition.  He renders the fullness of each petal with rich white impasto,  whereas he conveys the smoothness of the porcelain vase by using more flattened and modulated brushstrokes.  Blue tones used for shadows and for reflections add dimension to both the varnished table and the vase and enhance the solidity of these objects.