Alfred Stevens

Petit (in 1883)
Sale: Binoche de Maredsous, Orlèans, June 10, 1995, lot 23
Sale: Christie's, New York, November 1-2, 1995, lot 26, illustrated
Acquired at the above sale

Paris, Galerie Petit, Third International Exhibition, 1884
Brussels, Salon des Beaux-Arts, 1884

The artist's "Registre comptable," 1883, no. 397
Dargenty, Courrier de l'Art, April 11, 1884, p. 172
Letter from Jean Rousseau to the artist, September 9, 1884
Kahn, Revue encyclopédique, p. 207, no. 341
Christiane Lefebvre, Alfred Stevens, 1823-1906, Paris, 2006, pp. 66, 187, note 39 and 40

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting is in good condition and has been fairly recently restored. The canvas is lined with what appears to be a synthetic adhesive onto fine linen. The paint layer has been cleaned and varnished. The varnish is slightly dull and a brighter varnish would make improvements. Under ultraviolet light some restorations are visible running up and drown the right edge, approximately two inches from the edge, across the top of the painting also running from left to right and approximately two and a half inches from the top edge and down the left side, also approximately two inches from the edge. Similar restorations exist along the bottom edge directly beneath the signature in the lower left. This restoration suggests that the picture was framed more tightly or possibly even folded over a stretcher to abbreviate the composition. The restorations address these old choices made by a previous restorer and not by Stevens himself. The picture proper, with the exception of the restoration, is very well preserved. The standing figure is un-retouched, as is the group of mother and child. The face of the mother reads quite strongly under ultraviolet light but no restorations are identifiable. The restorations around the edge are seen very often where pictures are edited for decorative reasons, but the restoration here has been very successful. The condition overall is very good.
"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."

From 1881 to 1883, Alfred Stevens summered in the coastal city of Le Havre, financially supported by an annual sum of 50,000 francs from the dealer George Petit, who in turn received exclusive rights to sell the seascapes he would paint there. During this period Stevens received a commission from the Belgian government for The Widow and her Children (1883, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels), the earliest version of Mère et Ses Enfants and a tribute to the brave sailors lost at sea and the families they left behind. Stevens created a number of variations of this scene, the present work clearly devoid of the grim overtones of the original. Rather than the somber black gown and confounded expression of the widow in the Brussels picture, in Mère et Ses Enfants the mother is dressed in a ruffled crème-colored gown, her straw hat and a colorful bouquet of flowers beside her at the table. She smiles sweetly at her sleeping child, who dons a bright pink sash, versus the black sash in the original picture. In both pictures, a young blonde girl in a children's sailor suit looks out to sea; in the Brussels picture she stares at a sinking ship and the mass of black clouds emanating from the destruction. In the present work, the subject of the young girl's attention is less clear, and is instead an enigmatic glowing red haze visible on the horizon. In 1883, the year Mère et Ses Enfants was painted, the famous volcanic explosion at Krakatoa, a global disaster that killed at least 40,000, triggered chaotic weather patterns, one of which was a distinctive red glow visible at sunset in numerous locations throughout the world. The Eruption of Krakatoa and Subsequent Phenomena (1888, Royal Society London) details the various sightings of the "red twilight," noting that on November 26^th "a great part of France" was witness to this eerie spectacle (p. 321). The New York Times account from November 28, 1883 could easily describe the horizon in Stevens' painting: "Soon after 5 o'clock the western horizon suddenly flamed into a brilliant scarlet, which crimsoned sky and clouds. Many thought that a great fire was in progress..."  Mère et Ses Enfants is a poignant and intriguing painting, created not only during a distinct period in the artist's career but also during an extraordinary time in world history.