Gustave Caillebotte

Jules Froyez, Paris (gift from the artist and sold: vente J.F. (Jules Froyez), Hôtel Drouot, Paris, December 15, 1896, lot 20)

Galerie Bernheim-Jeune (circa 1908)

Galerie André Maurice, Paris

Georges Schick, Paris (acquired in the 1950s)

Acquired by the descent from the above

Vittorio Pica, Gl’ Impressionnisti Francesi, Collezione Monografie Illustrate, serie : Aristi Moderni, 3, Bergamo, 1908, illustrated p. 188

Marie Berthaut, Caillebotte, sa vie son oeuvre, catalogue raisonné des peintures et pastels, Paris, 1978, no. 79, illustrated p. 108

Marie Berthaut, Caillebotte, sa vie son oeuvre, catalogue raisonné des peintures et pastels, Paris, 1994, no. 85, illustrated p. 104

Very good condition. The medium is vibrant and fresh. The sheet itself, which is fragile but in good condition, features expertly-repaired tears around the extreme edges and one of the corners, with slight retouchings to the edges of the pastel where the restorations occurred.
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.

Caillebotte's family owned a country home of twenty-seven acres in Yerres, a verdant valley southeast of Paris with a river of the same name. Throughout his life Caillebotte fell in love with the splendor and pastoral charm of Yerres, and the area proved essential to nurturing his inspiration as an artist. Scenes of the river and surrounding landscapes are prominently illustrated throughout the artist’s production, as evidenced by the present composition from 1877. Pierre Wittmer writes of the significance which Yerres held for Caillebotte: “The Yerres river – thanks to its location and scenic attraction…-was as important to Gustave Caillebotte as the Epte was to Claude Monet or Mont Saint-Victoire was to Paul Cézanne. The artist adapts the reality of his world to his needs. Gustave Caillebotte gave the sites in which he lived a new and original and wholly personal dimension. His rendering of rural life evokes its perennial and cyclic nature, always leaving us with a sense of the rhythm of passing days and seasons” (P. Wittmer, Caillebotte and His Garden at Yerres, New York, 1991, p. 308).

Caillebotte's work in pastel is as significant as it is rare, as he only created roughly twenty compositions with this medium during the years of 1873-1880. In Canotier sur l’Yerres, which was completed at the height of the artist's involvement with the Impressionist group, Caillebotte layers rich green and blue pastels the lush foliage of the surrounding riverbank and its reflection on the water. The composition is viewed from a vantage upon the boat, helmed by the sleeping oarsman.