Édouard Manet

Pontillon, Paris
Mme. Forget and Alexandre Farra, Paris (acquired by 1926)
Theodore Schempp, New York
John P. and Alice S. Meyer Collection (acquired from the above on 15th April 1954; sale: Sotheby's, New York, 4th May 2006, lot 103)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Julius Meier-Graefe, Edouard Manet, Munich, 1912, discussed pp. 11-12
Étienne Moreau-Nélaton, Manet, raconté par lui-même, Paris, 1926, vol. I, fig. 2, illustrated n.p.
André Tabarant, Manet et ses œuvres, Paris, 1947, no. 542
Jacques Mathey, Graphisme de Manet, Paris, 1961, no. 7, illustrated n.p.
Alain de Leiris, The Drawings of Edouard Manet, Berkeley, 1969, cat. no. 1, fig. no. 39, illustrated p. 53
Denis Rouart & Daniel Wildenstein, Edouard Manet, Catalogue raisonné, pastels, aquarelles et dessins, Geneva, 1975, vol. II, no. 450, illustrated p. 165

Executed on a thin sheet of wove paper, laid down onto a restorer's support sheet, which is hinged to the mount at the upper two corners. The lower and left edges are very slightly unevenly cut and there is a strip of paper remnant along the extreme upper and lower edges, probably from a previous mounting (not visible when framed). There is a small 1cm-long vertical tear to the centre of the upper edge. There is a small repair to the upper third of the extreme left edge and some tiny paper infill repairs to the lower two corners and upper left corner, and a further tiny one to the upper third of the extreme right edge. There are some fine lines of craquelure to some of the brown ink pigments with a few associated tiny paint losses. This work is in overall fairly good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue, though the paper tone is slightly more blue.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The subject of the present work is Pontillon, the brother-in-law of Berthe Morisot, who became good friends with Manet while serving at sea aboard the boat  Le Havre et Guadeloupe.