Camille Pissarro

Julie Pissarro (wife of the artist)

Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Paris (acquired from the above in December 1913)

Galerie Georges Petit, Paris

A. Bergaud (acquired from the above and sold: Collection B., Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, March 1-2, 1920, lot 52) 

Gérard Frères, Paris

Fernand Bouisson, Paris (by 1930)

A.&R. Ball, New York

Wildenstein Gallery, New York (acquired from the above in 1947)

Acquired from the above in 1948 and thence by descent to the present owner

Paris, Galerie Durand-Ruel, Exposition Camille Pissarro, 1892, no. 20

Paris, Galerie Durand-Ruel, L'Exposition de l'oeuvre de Camille Pissarro, 1904, no. 69

New York, Wildenstein Gallery, C. Pissarro, 1965, no. 42bis, illustrated in the catalogue

Janine Bailly-Herzberg, Correspondance de Camille Pissarro, vol. III, Paris, 1988, no. 750, p. 193 (no. 16); no. 768, p. 210 (no. 20)

Alfred Ernst, "Camille Pissarro," La Paix, Paris, February 3, 1892, p. 2

G. Poulain, "De Courbet à Chagall chez M et Mme Fernand Bouisson," La Renaissance de l'art français, Paris, December 1930, illustrated p. 342

Ludovic-Rodo Pissarro & Lionello Venturi, Camille Pissarro, vol. I, Paris, 1939, no. 558, catalogued p. 160; vol. II, fig. 558, illustrated pl. 115

Joachim Pissarro & Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, Pissarro, Catalogue critique des peintures, vol. II, Paris, 2005, no. 696, illustrated p. 464

The canvas is relined. Under ultra-violet light, there is no evidence of retouching. Over all, this work is in very good, fresh condition. Colors: The colors are fairly accurate in the catalogue illustration.
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 Jardin de Maubuisson, Pontoise, la mère Belette shows a view of the Jardin de Maubuisson, a name given to a cluster of kitchen gardens at l'Hermitage near the town of Pontoise.  This particular scene is depicted from a vantage looking towards Côte Saint-Denis.  The distinctive blue roofs of the houses in this area can be seen in several of Pissarro's renderings of this region, and here they appear in a cluster in the background. According to Joachim Pissarro, the uppermost house on the right in this picture still stands at number 18, rue Adrien-Lemoine.    

Located some twenty-five miles northwest of Paris, Pontoise was built on a hilltop, with the river Oise passing through it, elements which made it a highly picturesque environment in which to paint en plein-air. The town's economy included agriculture as well as industry, and offered Pissarro a wide range of subjects, from crowded semi-urban genre scenes, views of roads and factories, to farmers working on the fields and isolated landscapes devoid of human presence.  In this picture, Pissarro is interested in depicting the diligence and care of the local agricultural laborers, particularly this hardworking farm woman known as 'la mère Belette' as she tends to her crops in the foreground.

Pissarro lived in Pontoise from 1866 until 1883, and this quotidian scene captures the charm that the region undoubtedly held for him.   As Christoph Becker explains, "There was no season or time of day that Pissarro did not portray, indeed he would impatiently wait for certain atmospheric changes, so that he could set up his easel in the open air and return to work with palette and brush" (C. Becker, et al., Camille Pissarro, Ostfidern, 1999, p. 105).  Pissarro was evidently so impressed by the present composition that this picture remained in the collection of his family until 1913.  It was acquired by the family of the present owner 60 years ago, and it has been in their family ever since.