Claude Monet

Michel Monet, Giverny
Private Collection (by descent from the above)
Acquired by the present owner in 1996

William C. Seitz, Claude Monet, New York, 1960, no. 80, illustrated n.p.
Yvon Taillandier, Claude Monet, Paris, 1963, illustrated p. 21
Mitsuhiko Kuroe, L'Art moderne du monde: Claude Monet, Tokyo, 1970, ilustrated p. 91
M. Shuji Takashina, Claude Monet, Tokyo, 1981, illustrated p. 107
Daniel Wildenstein, Claude Monet, Catalogue raisonné, Supplément aux peintures, dessins, pastels, Lausanne, 1991, vol. V, no. D440, illustrated p. 129

The canvas has not been lined. The surface is primed and there are some losses to the priming, including along the centre upper edge and to right the left figure's shoulder. The surface is slightly stained and there is some minor rubbing to the charcoal in places, probably largely inherent to the artist's process. Otherwise this work is in good 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. 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."

Jean-Pierre Hoschedé, Alice Hoschedé's youngest son and Michel Monet, the artist's son were born in 1877 and 1878 respectively and became boyhood friends as a result of their parents' friendship. Charles Stuckey suggests that Monet was also Hoschedé's father (Charles F. Stuckey, Claude Monet  1840-1926, New York, 1995, pp. 201 & 202). Monet's close acquaintance with Ernest and Alice Hoschedé dates from 1876, the year he was commissioned to paint four large decorative panels for the Hoschedé's country home in Rottenbourg in Montgeron. It would have been whilst working on this project that the affair between Alice Hoschedé and Monet began. Subsequently the two families shared a house in the town of Vétheuil on the Seine west of Paris. Although increasingly distanced from her husband, it was not until 1881 that Alice left him and moved with Monet and their respective children to Paris to the town of Poissy. The couple finally married in the summer of 1892, a year after Ernest Hoschedé had died and some nine years after they settled in Giverny.