卡米耶·畢沙羅

Alice Isaacson (niece of the artist)
Tommy Pissarro (by descent from the above)
Carl Pissarro, Esq.
Sotheby's, London, July 2, 1969, Lot 22
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon (acquired through Hector Brame at the above sale)

Ludovic-Rodo Pissarro & Lionello Venturi, Camille Pissarro, son art-son oeuvre, vol I, Paris, 1939, cat. no. 621, listed

The sheet is expertly drum-mounted to an old board. The medium is intact and the support is well-preserved. The signature and inscription is slightly faded, but overall the colors appear vibrant. The extreme edges, particularly the right edge, have darkened due to framing. Very good condition.
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.

The present work is one of the extraordinary compositions in which Pissarro turns his attention to his own family as subjects for this art.  The gouache depicts the artist's daughter Jeanne-Marguerite (b. 1881), also known as Cocotte, and his son Ludovic-Rodolphe (b. 1878), known as Rodo.  Cocotte and Rodo were among the youngest of the eight children the artist had with his wife Julie, and they were featured more frequently in the artist's paintings than any others.  Cocotte had been preceded by two sisters who died before she was born, and her place in the family as the only surviving girl child was significant.  Rodo would himself become an artist and also publish the first edition of his father's catalogue raisonné in 1939.  This work would be listed in the 1939 catalogue raisonné, but no illustration was provided at the time of publication.  In a note to John Rewald that was later relayed to Mrs. Mellon, Rodo confirmed the identity of the children in this composition.

While Pissarro's many children were central to his production throughout his career, it was not until these later offspring that he focused on the intimate details of childhood activity as depicted in this charming composition.  Pissarro dedicated this work to his niece Alice Isaacson, who was the first owner of the picture.  It later belonged to Tommy Pissarro, the grandson of the artist and son of Georges Manzana Pissarro.  The present work relates to a oil painting that also belonged to Mrs. Paul Mellon and was exhibited at the National Gallery in Washington D.C. in 1966.