Edouard Vuillard

M. Bellanger, Paris (probably acquired from the artist)

Alphonse Bellier, Paris (acquired from the above circa 1938)

Thence by descent

Paris, Bernheim-Jeune, Oeuvres de Vuillard de 1890 à 1910, 1938, no. 67

Paris, Galerie Charpentier, Portraits français, 1945, no. 115, illustrated in the catalogue

Paris, Galerie Charpentier, Vuillard, 1948, no. 59, illustrated in the catalogue

Basel, Kunsthalle, Edouard Vuillard (1868-1940), 1949, no. 218

Paris, Charpentier, Plaisirs de France, 1951, no. 193

Paris, Hector Brame, Vuillard : Hommage à Madame Vuillard, 1953, no. 22

Cleveland, The Cleveland Museum of Art & New York, The Museum of Modern Art, Edouard Vuillard, 1954 (titled Lunch, (Mme Vuillard) and as dating from circa 1917)

Winterthur, Kunstmuseum, Maîtres européens de 1790 à 1910, 1955, no. 209

Hamburg, Kunstverein; Frankfurt, Frankfurter Kunstverein, Steinernes Haus & Zürich, Kunsthaus, Vuillard: Gemälde, Pastelle, Aquarelle, Zeichnungen, Druckgraphik, 1964, no. 56, illustrated in the catalogue

Recklinghausen, Stadtlische Kunsthalle, Vuillard, 1966, no. 216, illustrated in the catalogue

Munich, Haus der Kunst & Paris, Orangerie des Tuileries, Édouard Vuillard, 1968, no. 61, illustrated in the catalogue

Tokyo, Mitsukoshi Gallery; Osaka, Mitsukoshi Gallery & Fujisawa, Saikaya Gallery, L'Éclatement de l'impressionnisme, 1981, no. 89, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Lyon, Musée des Beaux-Arts; Barcelona, Fundacion Caja Pensiones & Nantes, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Vuillard, 1990-91, no. 102, illustrated in color in the catalogue (as dating from 1904-05)

Paris, Galerie Bellier & New York, Berry-Hill Galleries, Inc., Edouard Vuillard (1868-1940), "Le silence me garde," 2002-03, no. 20, illustration in color in the catalogue

Michel Florisoone, Portraits français, Paris, 1946, no. 115, p. 149

Diane Kelder, L'Héritage de l'Impressionnisme, Les Sources du vingtième siècle, Paris, 1986, fig. 220, illustrated in color

Diane Kelder, The Great Book of Post Impressionism, New York, 1986, p. 211

Guy Cogeval & Ann Dumas, Vuillard, Paris, 1990, p. 20 (as dating from 1904-05)

Antoine Salomon & Guy Cogeval, Vuillard, The Inexhaustible Glance, Critical Catalogue of Paintings and Pastels, vol. III, Milan, 2003, no. X-148, illustrated in color p. 1246

The painting on heavy paper or a thin board has been mounted onto a cradled panel. In the black band across the bonnet of the woman there is a small amount of cracking. There is a small loss and a raised crack on the right side of the loaf of bread on the table. There is a small flake of paint loss in the dark section beneath the table cloth in the lower left. In the upper left corner, the paper has become slightly torn and has not been restored. Overall, this work is in very good original condition.
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.

The present painting once belonged to Alphonse Bellier, the leading French auctioneer who introduced modern and contemporary art to the public through sales at the auction house Drouot in the early part of the 20th century.  A close friend of major artists and international collectors when Paris was the capital for the art market, Bellier helped his son Jean-Claude, godson of Edouard Vuillard, open his gallery in 1959 where he organized one of the first exhibitions on the influence of African Art on Cubism.