Alfred Sisley

Georges Petit, Paris (sold: Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, March 4 & 5, 1921, lot 107)

Mme. E. de Saint-Albin, Paris

(possibly) Galerie Wildenstein, Paris

Acquired from the above by the family of the present owner in the 1950s

Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, Alfred Sisley, Paris,  1917, no. 86

Le Bulletin de la Vie artistique, February 1921, illustrated p. 88

François Daulte, Alfred Sisley, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, Lausanne, 1959, no. 664, illustrated

Raymond Cogniat, Sisley, New York, 1978, illustrated in color p. 70

The original canvas has a strip lining around the edges. The surface is fresh and the impasto is intact. Under ultra-violet light, there is no evidence of inpainting. This work is in excellent condition. Colors: Overall fairly accurate, although the blue and purple tones are more pronounced in the original.
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.

Le pont de Moret – Matin d'avril depicts one of most iconic landscapes in Sisley's oeuvre, showing the town of Moret across the river Loing (see fig. 1).  Moret provided a perfect setting for the artist, who cherished its beauty and quietness, and found in it an important source of inspiration. He took particular interest in the town's Gothic church of Notre-Dame, a subject of a large series of paintings, visible in the present composition rising above the houses in the center. Sisley was also fascinated by the river Loing, with its multi-arched bridge lined with mills which he painted from a multitude of viewpoints. For the present work, Sisley set up his easel across the river from Moret, a position that offered him a great view of the town's architecture as well as its reflection on the water surface. Depicting the landscape on a cloudy day, he captured the shifting effect of light and shadows, creating a rich, dynamic composition.

Ever since the 1870s Sisley was fascinated by the subject of bridges, and when he painted the present work in April 1888, the town of Moret provided a perfect setting. Sisley cherished the beauty and calm of Moret, which provided an important source of inspiration. He took particular interest in the town's Gothic church of Notre-Dame, a subject of a large series of paintings, visible in the background of the present composition rising above the houses of the village. Sisley was also fascinated by the river Loing, with its multi-arched bridge lined with mills which he painted from a multitude of viewpoints. Always preoccupied with the impressionist fashion of recording the changing play of light on the water, in the present work Sisley depicted this scene on a bright day, the almost cloudless sky and façades clearly reflected on the surface of the river.

The present work is one of the most comprehensive views of Moret, encompassing the bridge, the town gates, the church and the houses, as well as the nature around it. The town is seen here through the Porte de Bourgogne, a twelfth-century town gateway leading into Moret from the western end of the bridge.   Richard Shone discussed the appeal of this picturesque town: "The fame of Moret rested not so much on what was found inside the town but on the view it presented from across the Loing. Old flour and tanning mills clustered along the bridge; the river, scattered with tiny islands, seemed more like a moat protecting the houses and terraced gardens that, on either side the sturdy Porte de Bourgogne, in turn defended the pinnacled tower of the church. Add to this the tree-lined walks along the river, the continuous sound of water from the weir and the great wheels of the mills, the houseboats and fishermen, and there was, as every guidebook exclaimed, 'a captivating picture', a sight 'worthy of the brush'. These supremely picturesque aspects of Moret left Sisley unabashed. Gathered in one spot were the motifs that had mesmerized him since he began to paint. Here were water, sky, reflections, a busy riverside; the multi-arched bridge was for the artist the last in a long line of such structures going back through Sèvres and St-Cloud and Hampton Court to Argenteuil and Villeneuve-la-Garenne. Here was that conjunction of man-made and natural, the interleaving of foliage and house fronts between sky and water' (Richard Shone, Sisley, London, 1992, p. 159).