William Bouguereau
Avant le bain
Estimate:
600,000 - 800,000 USD
Property Collected by Mrs. Lois L. Fields
William Bouguereau
French
1825 - 1905
Avant le bain
signed and dated W-BOVGVEREAV 1891 (lower left)
oil on canvas
canvas: 54 by 34 ¼ in.; 137 by 87 cm.
framed: 61 ¼ by 41 ¾ in.; 155.5 by 106 cm.
The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. This painting is in excellent condition. The canvas has an old glue lining which is stabilizing the paint layer. The painting is clean and lightly varnished. There is a small retouch in the right thigh of the child, and another in the sky above and to the left of the child's head. There are a few spots of retouching in the center of the left edge. Under ultraviolet light, there appear to be old retouches in the black waistcoat of the older sister and in her blue dress beneath the child, which were not removed in cleaning. There are also very old slightly discolored retouched around the extreme edges and in the sky upper left that could not be safely removed in cleaning, but these are likely to be hidden under the frame.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.
Knoedler & Co., New York, no. 7009 (acquired from the above, November 1891)
James John Haggerman, Colorado Springs, Colorado (acquired from the above, 1893)
Knoedler & Co., New York, no. C2122 (acquired 1895)
Grenville Lindall Winthrop, New York (acquired 1896)
Knoedler & Co., New York, no. C3356 (acquired 1906)
W.G. Oakman, New York (acquired 1906)
W.L. Winthrop (until 1912)
Knoedler & Co., New York, no. 12659 (acquired January 1912)
Daniel S. Miller (acquired 1913 and sold, his sale, Samuel Marx, New York, April 17-20, 1916, lot 1138, illustrated, as Before the Bath)
Samuel Stern (acquired at the above sale)
Mrs. Jeanne Kerbs (and thence by descent)
Sale: Sotheby’s, New York, October 28, 1986, lot 87, illustrated
William Waugh (acquired at the above sale)
Sale: Sotheby’s, New York, May 22, 1991, lot 59, illustrated
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner
Marius Vachon, W. Bouguereau, Paris, 1900, p. 157
Charles Franquet de Franqueville, Le Premier siècle de l’Institut, Paris, 1895, p. 370
Mark Steven Walker, "William Bouguereau: A Summary Catalogue of the Paintings," William Adolphe Bouguereau, L’Art Pompier, exh. cat., Borghi & Co., New York, 1991, p. 73
Damien Bartoli and Frederick C. Ross, William Bouguereau, Catalogue Raisonné of his Painted Work, New York, 2010, p. 275, no. 1891/10, illustrated p. 274; and in the revised 2014 edition, p. 275, no. 1891/10, illustrated p. 274