Jean-François Raffaëlli

Boussod, Valedon & Cie, Paris, no. 21524
Collection of Mr. Potter Palmer (purchased from the above, 1892)
Thence by descent
Sold: Parke-Bernet, New York, February 6, 1947, lot 73, illustrated
Mr. Jollis (and sold: Parke-Bernet, New York, March 23, 1961, lot 152)
E.A. Jordon (and sold: Sotheby's, New York, October 31, 1985, lot 152, illustrated)
Private Collection, Canada

Howard Young Galleries, New York, Exhibition of Paintings from the Estate of the Late Potter Palmer of Chicago, 1922

J.H. Rosny, "Les Ouvriers" (illustrations by J.F Raffaëlli),  Les Types de Paris, Paris, 1889, p. 119 (detail of figure illustrated)
B.S. Fields, Jean-François Raffaëlli: The Naturalist Artist, Ph D. dissertation, Columbia University, New York, 1979, p. 346

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This painting has an old soft lining which is nicely stabilizing the paint layer. The painting is clean and varnished and is in lovely condition. There do not appear to be any retouches and the condition is therefore extremely 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."

The inhabitants and landscape of Asnières provided Raffaëlli with subject matter for most of his paintings executed in the 1880s.  This working class inner suburb of Paris, where Raffaëlli resided from 1879 until 1892, yielded a repertoire of interesting "types" who, became forever immortalized in his paintings. Rag-pickers, vagabonds, absinthe drinkers and common laborers, appeared in life amidst ever spouting smokestacks of the industrial landscape and often in dramatic silhouette on the skillfully executed canvases of the artist. 

Le Bûcheron shows a burly woodcutter, who, like most of Raffaëlli's workers, is depicted during a break from his labor. Stylistically, he is similar to Les Forgerons buvant, a painting from 1884 (fig.1).   In both these pictures, the physiques of the models, especially their well-defined muscular arms, are accentuated.   This is in contrast to most of Raffaëlli's Asnières subjects, typically weighted down with heavy, often threadbare jackets and coats. Equally striking is Raffaëlli's handling of the landscape. Spontaneous dabs of pale yellow paint convincingly convey the image of freshly cut wood chips in the foreground, while broad, sweeping brushstrokes transform pigment into dense field grass, stacks of fagots and a backdrop of arid overgrowth.  Le Bûcheron confirms that Raffaëlli had developed a truly Impressionistic style.  While we know that he was championed and influenced by Degas, it is also clear that by the mid-1880s other artists were making their influence felt.   In particular,  Raffaëlli had been paying attention to artists like Monet and Renoir. Compared with other works from this period, the large scale of our picture and bold signature suggest that this work was a significant painting for Raffaëlli

This painting originally belonged to Potter Palmer of Chicago, who, during his lifetime, amassed an extensive collection of paintings by Raffaëlli.  Le Bûcheron would have hung alongside such major works as Raffaëlli's Les Buveurs d'absinthe, another painting in Potter Palmer's illustrious collection.