- 11
Hugues Merle
Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 USD
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Description
- Hugues Merle
- Mother and Child
- signed HUGUES - MERLE. and dated -1869. (lower left)
- oil on canvas
- 39 5/8 by 32 1/8 in.
- 100.6 by 81.6 cm
Provenance
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, May 7, 1998, lot 78, illustrated
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, October 28, 2003, lot 40, illustrated
Acquired at the above sale
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, October 28, 2003, lot 40, illustrated
Acquired at the above sale
Condition
Lined. Finely patterned stable craquelure concentrated in and around mother's face. Under UV: Thin strokes of inpainting in mother's face, arm, costume, chair, and chest to address old stretcher bar mark. Additional thin strokes of inpainting to baby's head and legs. Area of inpainting in background to right of mother's shoulder. Isolated lines of inpainting throughout background and along all edges to address frame abrasion.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
After studying with Léon Cogniet, Hugues Merle became a regular contributor to the Salon between 1847 and 1880, up until the last year of his life, receiving medals for his entries in 1861 and 1863. His themes of maternal love found a ready audience with newly affluent art patrons in America. In fact, by 1878-9, in his Art Treasures of America, Edward Strahan could cite as many as fifty-two works by Merle in American collections. His reputation was equally great at home in France, where he enjoyed the patronage of the Duc de Morny and also enjoyed the support of Adolphe Goupil, the most prestigious art dealer in Paris whose other leading artists included William Bouguereau (see lots 9, 10, 12 and 13) and Vittorio Corcos (see lot 22).
Merle was most often associated with his friend and rival, Bouguereau, not only because they depicted similar subjects but also employed a high degree of finish and naturalistic technique. Merle was just two years older than Bouguereau, and their thematic and artistic similarities begged comparison from critics and collectors alike.