歐仁·布丹

Belvalette, Paris
Jean Noblet, Paris
Hôtel Drouot, Paris, June 24, 1963, Lot 50
Galerie Schmit, Paris 
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon (acquired from the above in October 1963)

Washinton, D.C., National Gallery of Art, French Paintings from the Collections of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon and Mrs. Mellon Bruce, Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Exhibition, 1941-1966, 1966, cat. no. 23, illustrated
Hartford, Wadsworth Atheneum, Impressionist at Argenteuil, 2000, cat. no. 1

Robert Schmit, Eugène Boudin, 1824-1898, vol I, Paris, 1973, cat. no. 392, p. 145, illustrated
Haruki Yaegashi, Les Peintres Impressionistes: Boudin, Tokyo, 1978, illustrated 
Paul Hayes Tucker, Monet at Argenteuil, New Haven, 1981, cat. no. 73, p. 99, illustrated (as dating from 1869)
Editions Herscher, Boudin, La Ciel, La Mer, Paris, 1993, illustrated 

This work has been restored. The canvas has been lined using wax as an adhesive. The paint layer is attractively cleaned and varnished. Under ultraviolet light, there are a few tiny retouches that strongly fluoresce in the water in front of the bridge. These probably address pentimenti, perhaps of a boat that the artist eliminated. In addition, there are other dark marks under ultraviolet light, particularly throughout the sky, which in all likelihood correspond to retouches. This kind of restoration is not uncommon in Boudin's work. Boudin was extremely free and sketchy in his skies, and a lot of this looseness can get "tightened up" by later restorers. There may be abrasion to the paint layer, but there do not appear to be any structural damages. It is recommended that the work be cleaned, as the retouching at present does not seem the most economical or thoughtful. One could be more disciplined about the retouching, if any is necessary at all.
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.

A sweeping view of the boats on the Seine at Argenteuil is the subject of Boudin's nautical composition from 1866. While the beaches of Le Havre and Trouville were frequent locations for his painting campaigns at this point in his career, this particular expedition to Argenteuil exemplifies the artist's links to members of the Impressionist group, most notably his student Monet, who would be influenced by his example here.  Boudin and his fellow avant-garde painters were fascinated by the affects of light reflecting off the water, and Argenteuil was one of the locations where they came to experiment with new aesthetic techniques that would ultimately give rise to Impressionist painting in the 1870s.  

The artist's practice of painting largely en plein air, though often finishing his paintings in the studio, enabled him to endow his works with an energetic immediacy and freshness. As Boudin inscribed in one his notebooks, “Beaches. Produce them from nature as far as is possible... things done on the spot or based on a very recent impression can be considered as direct paintings” (quoted in Gustave Cahen, Eugène Boudin, sa vie et son oeuvre, Paris, 1900, p. 183).