Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Bernheim-Jeune, Paris (acquired before 1910)

Otto Feldmann, Paris (acquired from the above on December 17, 1912)

Leclanché

Alphonse Kann, Paris

Jos. Hessel, Paris

Jules Strauss, Paris (by 1922 and until at least 1929)

Edouard & Valentine Esmond, Paris (acquired from the above)

Diane Esmond, Paris (daughter of the above)

By descent to the present owner

Paris, Palais du Louvre, Pavillon de Marsan, Le décor de la vie sous le second Empire, 1922, no. 150 (titled La Femme à l'ombrelle and as dating from 1870)

Paris, Musée Jacquemart André, Chefs-d'oeuvre de collections françaises, 1961, no. 67

Julius Meier-Graefe, Renoir, Leipzig, 1929, no. 15, illustrated p. 31

François Daulte, Auguste Renoir, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, vol. I, Lausanne, 1971, no. 36, illustrated

Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Renoir, Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, 1858-1881, Paris, 2007, no. 287, illustrated p. 335 (titled Femme à l'ombrelle and as dating from circa 1868)

This work is in very good condition. The impasto is intact.  Under ultra-violet light, one small hairline retouching is visible in the ground in the lower right corner. 
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.

Jeune femme à l'ombrelle was painted in 1868 during Renoir's first involvement with the Impressionist group. It was around this time that the artist began experimenting with painting en plein air, preferring the freshness of natural light to the staid atmosphere of his studio. This technique presented a departure from the traditional, academic practice of painting from sketches and depictions of interiors, and it launched Renoir and his fellow Impressionists into the forefront of the avant-garde. With its quick, spontaneous brush-strokes depicting a young woman in nature, the present work is a fine example of the aesthetic that would come to define Impressionist painting of the 1870s and 1880s.  The model who posed for this composition was Lise Tréhot (1848-1922), who appeared in several of Renoir's pictures during this era. 

This picture once belonged to the esteemed collection of Jules Strauss, a successful Parisian banker with a taste for high-quality Impressionist art.  During the 1920s, Strauss's collection of Renoirs, Monets and Manets was one of the most prestigious in France.