William Bouguereau

Goupil & Cie, Paris, no. 3262 (acquired from the artist on February 6, 1868; and sold April 23, 1868)
Mr. Bridgmann, New York
Sale: Christie's, New York, October 27, 1982, lot 12, illustrated
Galleries Maurice Sternberg, Chicago
Sale: Christie's, New York, May 24, 1985, lot 199, illustrated
Berry-Hill Galleries, New York
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, November 1, 1995, lot 181, illustrated
Acquired by the present owner at the above sale

Ludovic Baschet, Catalogue illustré des oeuvres de W. Bouguereau, Paris, 1885, p. 37
Marius Vachon, W. Bouguereau, Paris, 1900, p. 149

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This canvas has been lined with glue. The paint layer is stable and has been fairly recently cleaned and varnished. The varnish is fairly thick and may be slightly dirty, yet the picture could also be hung as is. Under ultraviolet light a few retouches are faintly visible in the wrist of the left hand, in a few spots in the dress and perhaps in the tablecloth. In the face there are some restorations in the temple, on the cheek on the left side in the forehead. The background is a little harder to read yet there do not appear to be any restorations visible under ultraviolet light. These retouches may be a little exaggerated, particularly since the painting itself seems to be well preserved, and so a reappraisal of the restoration is perhaps recommended.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

In the 1984 exhibition catalogue Gilles Chazal writes, "Strengthened by the tradition of which he was so much a part and endowed with great personal inspiration, Bouguereau made notable innovations in his paintings of children. To him the child was king - [his] paintings of children allowed for the expression of values that formed, for the painter, the very heart of his philosophy of life: youthful hope, the warmth of the family circle, fraternal love" ("The Art of William Bouguereau," William Bouguereau, exh. cat., Paris; Montreal; Hartford, 1984, p. 68).

 

Distraction is a portrait of Émilienne Césil-Biegler, daughter of Cateau-Cambrésis, Bouguereau's housekeeper. Émilienne was one of Bouguereau's favorite models and features prominently in his body of work between 1864 and 1868. She was always portrayed in her everyday clothes, never as a peasant. Here he shows her drawn away from her reading, her finger still poised thoughtfully on the text. According to Damien Bartoli, Distraction is one of the best portraits of this period, and a noteworthy example of Bouguereau's consummate skill.