William Bouguereau

Sale: Christie's, New York, February 25, 1988, lot 37, illustrated
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, April 25, 2006, lot 47, illustrated

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting is in lovely condition. The canvas is unlined. The paint layer is stable. It has been cleaned and varnished recently. The only restoration we're aware of is in the hair above the ear on the left side of the head, where a small paint loss has been repaired. The picture should be hung in its current state.
"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."

The reduced dimensions and free brushwork of the present work suggest that it is a preliminary study, which Bouguereau frequently executed in preparation for his finished works. The young girl represented appears in several works painted by the artist during his summer holidays in 1883 and 1884 at La Rochelle, including Orpheline à la Fontaine (Orphan at the Fountain), Panier de Pommes (Apple Seller), and La Bourrique (Little Donkey). The children who posed for these pictures were from the families of fishermen and farmers in the villages surrounding La Rochelle. Many of the models appear year after year, so that one may trace their development in the artist's oeuvre. On returning to his Paris studio in autumn, Bouguereau took these lively preliminary sketches and shaped them into his grand finished works.