Édouard Vuillard

M. Bellanger, Paris (probably acquired from the artist)
Alphonse Bellier, Paris (acquired from the above circa 1938)
Private Collection, Europe (by descent from the above and sold: Sotheby's, New York, November 4, 2009, lot 61)
Acquired at the above sale

Paris, Bernheim-Jeune, Oeuvres de Vuillard de 1890 à 1910, 1938, no. 67
Paris, Galerie Charpentier, Portraits français, 1945, no. 115, illustrated in the catalogue
Paris, Galerie Charpentier, Vuillard, 1948, no. 59, illustrated in the catalogue
Basel, Kunsthalle, Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940), 1949, no. 218
Paris, Galerie Charpentier, Plaisirs de France, 1951, no. 193
Paris, Hector Brame, Vuillard: Hommage à Madame Vuillard, 1953, no. 22
Cleveland, The Cleveland Museum of Art & New York, Museum of Modern Art, Édouard Vuillard, 1954 (titled Lunch (Mme Vuillard) and dated circa 1917)
Winterthur, Kunstmuseum, Maîtres européens de 1790 à 1910, 1955, no. 209
Hamburg, Kunstverein; Frankfurt, Frankfurter Kunstverein, Steinernes Haus & Zurich, Kunsthaus, Vuillard: Gemälde, Pastelle, Aquarelle, Zeichnungen, Druckgraphik, 1964, no. 56, illustrated in the catalogue
Recklinghausen, Stadtlische Kunsthalle, Vuillard, 1966, no. 216, illustrated in the catalogue
Munich, Haus der Kunst & Paris, Orangerie des Tuileries, Édouard Vuillard, 1968, no. 61, illustrated in the catalogue
Tokyo, Mitsukoshi Gallery; Osaka, Mitsukoshi Gallery & Fujisawa, Saikaya Gallery, L'Éclatement de l'impressionnisme, 1981, no. 89, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Lyon, Musée des Beaux-Arts; Barcelona, Fundacion Caja Pensiones & Nantes, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Vuillard, 1990-91, no. 102, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Paris, Galerie Bellier & New York, Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., Édouard Vuillard (1868-1940), "Le silence me garde," 2002-03, no. 20, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Michel Florisoone, Portraits français, Paris, 1946, no. 115, illustrated p. 149
Diane Kelder, L'Héritage de l'Impressionisme, Les Sources du vintième siècle, Paris, 1986,  illustrated in color fig. 220
Diane Kelder, The Great Book of Post Impressionism, New York, 1986, illustrated p. 211
Guy Cogeval & Ann Dumas, Vuillard, Paris, 1990, illustrated p. 20 (dated 1904-05)
Antoine Salomon & Guy Cogeval, Vuillard, The Inexhaustible Glance, Critical Catalogue of Paintings and Pastels, vol. III, Milan, 2003, no. X-148, illustrated in color p. 1246

Executed on board laid down on cradled panel. In the black band across the bonnet of the woman there is a small amount of cracking in addition there is a small loss and a raised crack on the right side of the loaf of bread on the table. There is a small flake of paint loss in the dark section beneath the table cloth in the lower left. In the upper left corner, the card is very slightly torn. Overall, this work is in 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 painting once belonged to Alphonse Bellier, the leading French auctioneer who introduced modern and contemporary art to the public through sales at the auction house Drouot in the early part of the twentieth century. A close friend of major artists and international collectors when Paris was the capital for the art market, Bellier helped his son Jean-Claude, godson of Vuillard, open his gallery in 1959 where he organized one of the first exhibitions on the influence of African Art on Cubism.