Camille Pissarro

Alfred Daber, Paris
The Lefevre Gallery (Alex Reid & Lefevre), London (acquired from the above in 1950)
Robert Morley, London (acquired from the above in 1951)
Annabel Morley, London (and sold: Sotheby's, London, December 1, 1971, lot 35)
Dr. W. Eisenbeiss, Zurich (acquired at the above sale)
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, November 6, 2002, lot 130
Acquired at the above sale

London, The Lefevre Gallery (Alex Reid & Lefevre), Géricault to Renoir, 1951, no. 23
London, The Lefevre Gallery (Alex Reid & Lefevre), XIXth and XXth Century French Paintings and Drawings, 1960, no. 29

Christopher Lloyd, Pissarro, London, 1992, no. 8
Joachim Pissarro & Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, Pissarro, Catalogue critique des peintures, vol. II, Paris, 2005, no. 136, illustrated p. 127

Canvas is not lined and appears to remain in its original stretcher. There are some vertical lines visible in the paint layer in the left half of the canvas which are the result of the canvas weave and which are original. The canvas is slightly undulating and some minor frame abrasion is visible along the extreme perimeter. Under UV light: a few small strokes of retouching are visible but are mostly limited to the extreme upper edge. There are a few scattered pindot retouches at the extreme upper right corner and along the very top of the upper right edge. All retouches appear to address prior frame abrasion and are essentially outside the image. Spots of pooling varnish fluoresce and appear original. Overall the work is in excellent 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.

Louveciennes was merely seventeen kilometers outside Paris yet, with its idyllic landscape and unobstructed views, it was a favorite destination for Pissarro and several of his contemporaries, including Renoir, Monet and Degas. Indeed, Pissarro's early paintings from Louveciennes are not only among the most important works of his career, they are also among the very first truly Impressionist compositions ever painted. It was in the wake of this period in the artist's career that critic Armand Silvestre referred to him as "basically the inventor of this painting," while Paul Cézanne proclaimed more than thirty years later that Pissarro was in fact "the first Impressionist" (as quoted in Ralph E. Shikes & Paula Harper, Pissarro, His Life and Works, 1980, p. 78).

Le ru de montbuisson, Louveciennes offers superb evidence of the artist's early Impressionist approach and, in its virtuosic adaptation of subtle tonal relationships, it reveals Pissarro's profound understanding of the effects of light on color. Meanwhile its painterly surface exemplifies the artist's characteristic brushstroke, which during this period was precise and tightly clipped; even in the dim and atmospheric backdrop of a clouded sky one can observe the premeditated significance of each stroke.