Alfred Sisley

Sale: Maller, Amsterdam, June 19, 1917, lot 52
Durand-Ruel, Paris (acquired at the above sale)
Bernheim-Jeune, Paris (acquired from the above in 1920)
Private Collection
Galerie Schmit, Paris 
Acquired from the above in 1982

Paris, Galerie Schmit, Pour mon plaisir, XIXème et XXème siècles, 1982, no. 90, illustrated in the catalogue
Paris, Galerie Schmit, Grand Palais, XIe Biennale des antiquaires, 1982, no. 47, illustrated in color in the catalogue

François Daulte, Alfred Sisley, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, Lausanne, 1959, no. 280, illustrated n.p.
Sylvie Gache-Patin & Jacques Lassaigne, Sisley, Paris, 1983, no. 162, illustrated p. 112

This work is in very good condition. The canvas is unlined. The surface is richly textured and the impasto is well preserved. Under UV light 3 areas of inpainting visible towards upper left quadrant, 2 along the top edge and a 1 inch by 2 inch area near the roof of the house, as well as a few scattered pindots. 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.

Resplendent in a sheen of glistening snow, La Maison sous la neige evokes the silent world of a trampled country road near Sèvres, where the artist had moved in 1877, the year before the present work was painted. Situated only a few kilometers to the south west of Paris, the environs of Sèvres offered Sisley a tantalizing variety of subject matter and he made regular forays to paint en plein air in the picturesque villages of the vicinity. The resulting landscapes, of which the present canvas is a particularly fine example, are characterized by a profound sense of place and Sisley's unique flair for capturing the subtle poetry of his surroundings. Indeed, as Christopher Lloyd observed: "During the late 1870s when Sisley lived in Marly-le-Roi and Sèvres, he painted some of the finest pictures in his oeuvre" (Christopher Lloyd, "Marly-le-Roi and Sèvres: 1875-1880" in Mary Anne Stevens, ed., Alfred Sisley, New Haven & London, 1992, p. 149).

Fascinated by snow and attracted by the singular possibilities that it offered him as a painter, Sisley executed a number of snow-covered landscapes in the late 1870s. The unique qualities of winter light inspired in him a desire to experiment with both new techniques and formal invention and the paintings of this period reveal a notable change in style; with a marked shift towards the expressive power of his brushstrokes and richly textured surfaces. With its deft strokes of blue to describe the ice that shrouds the trees against a leaden winter sky—so low it obscures the rooftops—La Maison sous la neige is a remarkable testament to Sisley’s increasingly spontaneous brushwork.

Writing about the snowscapes Sisley executed around this time, François Daulte observed: “In the environs of Sèvres, Sisley discovered plentiful new motifs. He explored the towns of Suresnes, Meudon, Saint-Cloud and Louveciennes, setting up his easel with particular relish in winter, drawn as he was to the intangible nature of snow. In contrast to Renoir, whose preference was for verdant landscapes and sun-soaked coastal scenes and who referred to snow as the ‘leprosy of nature,’ Sisley preferred winter landscapes, where meagre branches are silhouetted against heavy gray skies that speak of sadness and grief for the frozen countryside. The economy of means with which Sisley is able to capture the myriad whites of snow using tones of blue and salmon pink is extraordinary” (François Daulte, Sisley, Les Saisons, Paris, 1992, p. 48). Sisley wields this economy of means to captivating effect in La Maison sous la neige, where the melting snow on the ground and the shutters of the house reflect the overall blue tone while the orange highlights of the brick gatepost and chimney tops add a soft intensity to the beige ground.