William Bouguereau

Arthur Tooth & Sons, London (acquired directly from the artist, as Lady with Veil, no. 1066) 
Knoedler & Co., New York, no. 8438 (acquired from the above, March 1898)
A. Gross, Chicago (acquired from the above, May 1898)
Peter A. Schemm, Philadelphia (and sold, his sale, American Art Associates, New York, March 14-17, 1911, lot 290, illustrated)
Anderson Galleries, New York (acquired at the above sale)
Sale: Savoy Art & Auction Galleries, New York, April 1, 1967 (as The Veil)
Seymour L. Halpern, New York (acquired at the above sale, and sold, his estate sale, Sotheby's, New York, October 23, 2007, lot 34, illustrated)
Acquired at the above sale

Braun & Clement, Oeuvres choisies des maîtres, n.p., no. 4954
Marius Vachon, W. Bouguereau, Paris, 1900, p. 160
Collection of paintings belonging to Peter A. Schemm, Philadelphia, 1901, no. 80, illustrated
"A Gallery of Modern Art," The Booklovers Magazine, Philadelphia, 1903, p. 256-8, illustrated p. 259
Mark Steven Walker, "William-Adolphe Bouguereau: A Summary Catalogue of the Paintings," William-Adolphe Bouguereau, L'Art Pompier, exh. cat., Borghi & Co., New York, 1991, p. 74
Damien Bartoli and Fred Ross, William Bouguereau. Catalogue Raisonné of his Painted Work, New York, 2010, p. 323, no. 1898/08, illustrated p. 322; and in the revised 2014 edition, p. 323, no. 1898/08, illustrated p. 322

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This work is in very good condition. The canvas has an old glue lining, which is still nicely stabilizing the paint layer. The work is clean, un-abraded and shows very few retouches. There are two tiny dots of retouching at the bottom of the white dress in the center, and one small group of retouches in the veil beneath the left forearm. Some thinness has been retouched in the dark colors beneath the chin, and there are a few tiny dots above and below the mouth. These retouches are well applied, and the work can be hung in its current condition.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Painted in 1898, Le Voile indulges William Bouguereau’s interest in classical imagery and visions of antiquity. A young woman playfully glances from underneath her delicate veil in a sunlit landscape.  She wears a traditional chiton, a tunic worn by both men and women in ancient Greece, and in this voluminous garment she is at once a timeless goddess and a vision of beauty. Bouguereau found continuous inspiration in classical antiquity throughout his career. The deep purple bouquet of violets at her side stands in stark contrast to the harmonious interplay of white and grey on her carefully rendered garment, and this skillful juxtaposition of monochromatic color tones evidences the technical virtuosity for which Bouguereau was celebrated. He has skillfully rendered how the light delicately catches her fingers and the tip of her nose, while her face and neck are recessed in the shade of the veil.

One of the early owners of this work was Peter A. Schemm of the Peter Schemm & Son Brewery, a distinguished art collector from Philadelphia. Mr. Schemm, like many collectors of America’s gilded age, sought out the most celebrated European artists of the time and his collection included names such as Jules Breton, John William Godward and Giovanni Boldini (an illustrated catalogue of his collection was published by the Beck Engraving Company in Philadelphia, 1901). A visitor to his collection noted, “[Mr. Schemm] has confined his selection to what is living and vital, including a showing of the work of rising men which will doubtless appreciate in importance as time goes on” (“A Gallery of Modern Art,” p. 256). He housed his gallery in his private apartments and covered his walls floor to ceiling with his impressive collection.  As observed by a critic in the September 1903 edition of Booklovers Magazine, Schemm had a unique collection of autographs from most of the artists in his collection. Upon adding a work to his collection, he would have it photographed and a print made for each respective artist to sign, and many would include a personal inscription.  Le Voile's read: “à Monsieur Peter A. Schemm, avec l’expression de mes sentiments distingués, William Bouguereau, le 2 décembre 1898."  The firm Braun & Clément also produced a photograph of this work, which is catalogued under the number 4594.