Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, June 7, 1923, lot 105
M Schreber, France (acquired at the above sale)
Galerie Mathiesen, Berlin
Samuel Stockton White III, Philadelphia
William H. Weintraub, New York (and sold: Sotheby's, New York, April 14, 1965, lot 68)
Galerie Félix Vercel, Paris
Isabelle Duval-Lemmonier Gallery, Paris
Forum Gallery, New York
Acquired from the above on July 6, 2000

Paris, Galerie Félix Vercel, Hommage à mon père, 1998, n.n., illustrated in color in the catalogue

Guy Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Renoir, Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, 1911-1919, vol. V, Paris, 2014, no. 4129, illustrated p. 291

The canvas is unlined. The colors are fresh. Under UV: scattered minor thin strokes are visible, particularly in the figures neck, and a 1/4 inch stroke to the extreme left of the figures face. The work is in overall good very 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.

From the early 1890s until the end of his career, Renoir produced a series of portraits of young woman wearing extravagantly decorated hats. Renoir's particular affection for these hats is well documented. Suzanne Valadon, who modeled for several of these portraits, recalled that the artist had many of these floral headpieces specifically designed for his female sitters and that his studios were filled with these elaborate adornments. Albert André remembered the colorful sight of these hats in Renoir’s otherwise sparse work space: "His studios, whether in Paris or in the country, are empty of any furniture that might encourage visitors to stay for long. A broken down divan, covered in clothes and old flowered hats for his models; a few chairs that are always cluttered with canvases" (Albert André, Renoir, 1919, reprinted in Renoir, A Retrospective (exhibition catalogue), New York, 1987, p. 262).