Léon-Augustin Lhermitte

Boussod, Valadon & Cie, Paris (no. 29789, June 15, 1909)
Reinhardt
Farrell, New York (in 1911)
Knoedler Gallery, New York
J. Skinner (in 1924)
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, May 24, 1984, lot 22
Sale: Christie's, New York, October 25, 2006, lot 152, illustrated
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Mary Michele Hamel, A French Artist, Léon Lhermitte: 1844-1925, unpublished dissertation, Washington University, St. Louis, 1974, p. 303, no. 300
Monique Le Pelley Fonteny, Léon-Augustin Lhermitte (1844-1925), Catalogue Raisonné, Paris, 1991, p. 121, no. 94, illustrated

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: In keeping with the later works of L'Hermitte in oil, this painting has a more brushy and impressionistic technique. The canvas is unlined and well stretched. A few cracks have developed in the sky, but the paint layer is stable and in beautiful condition. L'Hermitte utilizes a washy finish in some areas and thinness is part of his technique. This is visible in the trees in the middle distance and in some of the shadowed areas. Despite the strength of some of these colors under ultraviolet light, there appear to be no retouches and this picture is in unusually good condition, particularly given the fairly regular amount of abrasion to be found in late L'Hermitte paintings.
"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."