Paul Gauguin

Ambroise Vollard, Paris, acquired in 1895
Galerie Thannhauser, Berlin
Private Collection, Germany
Sale: Prestel, Frankfurt-am-Main, November 8, 1929, lot 99
Private Collection, Munich, acquired circa 1956
Wildenstein and Co., New York
Mr. & Mrs. Morton Downey, Southampton, New York (acquired from the above in 1957 and sold: Christie's, New York, November 2, 1993, lot 14)

(Possibly) Berlin, Galerie Thannhauser, Auf der Weide, 1928, no. 13

Maurice Malingue, Le Peintre et son oeuvre, London, 1948, detail illustrated pl. 100 (titled Vaches dans un pré)
Lee van Dovski, Paul Gauguin oder die Flucht von der Zivilisation, Bern, 1950, no. 62, p. 340
Georges Wildenstein, Paul Gauguin, Paris, 1964, no. 157, illustrated p. 59
Daniel Wildenstein, Gauguin, Premier itinéraire d'un sauvage. Catalogue de l'oeuvre peint (1873-1888), vol. I, Paris, 2001, no. 190, illustrated p. 226

This work is in good condition. The canvas is lined and the surface is slightly dirty. Under UV light, there is a layer of varnish that is somewhat difficult to read through, no inpainting is apparent.
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.

Gauguin began his career as a painter at a time when the academism of the past was quickly being shunned in favor of revolutionary new styles, notably Impressionism. A great friend of Pissarro, Gauguin's first works were very much in the vein of this new pictorial style, with a large emphasis placed on how to render light and shadow through color. 

This work, painted during the artist's time in Dieppe, evidences Gauguin's interest in bucolic scenes that were explored during his travels in Normandy and Brittany. It was during the early years of the 1880s, however, that Gauguin made a break from the Barbizon painters who played such an influencial role during his formative years as an artist (see fig. 1). Indeed, Michel Hoog writes, "Gauguin now sought to free himself from the influence of such masters as Corot and Daubigny, from whom he had borrowed both a general approach and specific methods. He also had to liberate himself from the precepts contained in the artists' manuals so prevalent at the time (M. Hoog, Paul Gauguin Life and Work, New York, 1987, p. 43). 

Unlike the tighter still-life compositions that he painted in the confines of his studio during this period, Gauguin's brushwork was more spontaneous when he was liberated by plein-air painting. In the present work, Gauguin accentuates the three-dimensional quality of the equine figure with dashes of siena, umber, blue, and olive.  Likewise, the bovine comes alive with painterly strokes of lavender and wisps of orange. The verdant center is complimented with a dizzying array of greens, yellows, blues, reds and subtle pinks, creating a panoply synthesized by Gauguin's masterful application of color.

Fig. 1 Charles-François Daubigny, Le Verger, oil on panel, circa 1866, Private Collection