Joaquín Sorolla

Please note the condition report has been amended.

Jacques Copeau (1879-1949; General administrator of the Comédie-Française, collaborator of Georges Petit in Paris between 1905 and 1909; gifted by the artist in 1906, in gratitude for Copeau's participation in the organization of his 1906 solo exhibition at the Galerie Georges Petit) 
Private collection, Seine-et-Marne
Thence by descent to the previous owner

The present work, painted circa 1898, depicts Valencia – a subject Sorolla had been portraying for several years. His interest in the theme had - at least in part - been inspired by the dictum of Jules Bastien-Lepage who urged painters to paint what they knew, and depict the subjects that were closest to them. The result was a series of canvases that revolved around the Valencian fishing community, featuring such subjects as mending fishing nets, boat building and hauling in the catch. As the 1890s drew to a close, Sorolla's style became ever more Impressionistic, one that he perfected in his oil sketches. His masterful free execution and the spirit he imbued in his works, are qualities that go to the heart of Sorolla's aesthetic and account for his enduring popularity.

When Sorolla gifted the work to Jacques Copeau he added an additional signature, inscription and dated the work 1906.