Camille Pissarro

Paul Rosenberg, Paris
Simon Bauer, Paris (acquired before 1930)
Spoliated from the above between 1939-45
Knoedler Gallery, New York
Joan Whitney Payson, New York (acquired from the above in 1964)
Alex Reid & Lefevre, London (acquired from the above on 19th May 1986)
Acquired from the above by the present owner on 19th May 1986

Paris, Musée de l'Orangerie, Centenaire de la naissance de Camille Pissarro, 1930, no. 9
Paris, Galerie Marcel Bernheim, Les Premières Epoques de Camille Pissarro (1858-84), 1936, no. 10
Kyoto, Municipal Museum & Tokyo, Isetan Museum of Art, From Goya to Wyeth: The Joan Whitney Payson Collection, 1980, no. 30, illustrated in colour in the catalogue (as dating from 1870)
New York, Acquavella Galleries, XIXth and XXth Century Master Paintings, 1983, no. 1
London, Alex Reid & Lefevre, Important XIXth and XXth Century Works of Art, 1984, no. 14

Julius Meier-Graefe, 'Camille Pissarro', in Kunst und Künstler, September 1904, illustrated p. 475
Gaston Poulain, 'Les Beaux-Arts. Camille Pissarro, chantre de l'Ile-de-France et son rôle d'initiateur', in Comoedia, 22nd February 1930, p. 3
Ludovic Rodo Pissarro & Lionello Venturi, Camille Pissarro, son art - son oeuvre, Paris, 1939, vol. I, no. 92, catalogued p. 91; vol. II, no. 92, illustrated pl. 17 (as dating from 1870)
Répertoire des biens spoliés en France durant la guerre 1939-1945, 1947, vol. II, no. 7122, illustrated
Martin Monestier, Annuaire international des oeuvres et objets d'art volés, Paris, 1991, p. 1037
Joachim Pissarro, Camille Pissarro, London, 1993, no. 102, illustrated in colour p. 108 (as dating from 1870)
Joachim Pissarro & Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, Pissarro. Catalogue critique des peintures, Paris, 2005, vol. II, no. 124, illustrated in colour p. 116

The canvas is lined. Apart from an area of retouching across the tree and water in the lower left quadrant, covering a repaired tear, two very small spots of retouching in the sky and a few tiny spots of retouching along the extreme top framing edge, visible under ultra-violet light, this work is in good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration, although slightly stronger and fresher 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Pissarro and his family moved to Pontoise in October 1866, and lived there until January 1869. As by 1870 the artist had already moved to Louveciennes, the authors of the recently published Catalogue critique argue that the present work was almost certainly executed in 1868, while he was still living in Pontoise, and completed and dated some two years later, in the artist's studio (J. Pissarro & C. Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, op. cit., p. 117). For the present composition, Pissarro had set his easel on the bank of L'Oise, looking across the river towards the rich vegetation of the Ile du Pothuis, with the hills of L'Hermitage visible in the background.

This work is being offered pursuant to an agreement between the heirs of Simon Bauer and the current owner.