Eanger Irving Couse

Vantage Collection of American and Western Art, Dallas, Texas (according to a label on the reverse)

The work is in original unlined condition though it may have been restretched. Remnants of old discolored varnish are visible at the extreme upper right edge. Under UV: there are small scattered areas of retouching, most visible around the figures and the flock, above the flock in the horizon, and above the roof line at left.
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.

Best known for his paintings of Native Americans, the artistic origins of Eanger Irving Couse can be found in the Parisian studio of William Bouguereau. As many young aspiring American artists had in the late nineteenth century, Couse sailed for Paris, the center of the art world. He lived in France for a decade, and from 1893 and 1896 in the artist’s colony of Étaples, depicted in the present work.

During Couse’s time as Bouguereau’s student, he developed the technical skills seen in his most celebrated American pictures, which would secure his reputation. Couse also adopted Bouguereau’s affinity for the pastoral vision of the nineteenth century and the romanticization of rural life, as evocatively illustrated in the present work, with its delicate rendering of a shepherd and his flock in soft evening light.