皮耶∙奧古斯特∙雷諾瓦

Henri Canonne, Paris (sold: Galerie Charpentier, Paris, 18th February 1939, lot 42)
M. Knoedler & Co., New York
Gioconda King, Palm Beach
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (a bequest from the above; deaccessioned in 2004)
Acquired by the present owner in 2006

New York, Hammer Galleries, Renoir: Paintings from 1870-1914, 1984, illustrated in colour in the catalogue (as dating from 1895)
New York, Hammer Galleries, Renoir, 2010-11, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Renoir, catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, Paris, 2010, vol. III, no. 2246, illustrated p. 316

The canvas is lined. Apart from a line of retouching above the chair, 3cm. in length, and a small spot of retouching in the hair, all visible under ultra-violet light, this work is in good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration, although the tones are brighter in the original.
"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."

Painted circa 1900, the present work depicts Gabrielle seated in a moment of repose, possibly between household chores. As the Renoir family's nursemaid and the artist's favourite model, Gabrielle Renard (1879-1959) was as much in demand around the house as she was in the studio (fig. 1). Among the Impressionists only Degas and Renoir were interested in portraiture. During his long career, Renoir had painted the portraits of a wide range of sitters: fellow artists such as Alfred Sisley and Claude Monet, affluent patrons such as Madame Georges Charpentier, and dealers including Paul Durand-Ruel and Ambroise Vollard.  His own family also sat for him frequently and one can follow the development of his three sons, Jean, Pierre and Claude as they mature from infants to adolescence. Equally abundant are the images of anonymous models such as the present work, for although the models can frequently be identified - Gabrielle above all - these paintings are never attempts to penetrate the psychology of the sitter or to achieve an exact likeness.

With his admiration for the Old Masters and the art of eighteenth century France in particular, Renoir produced numerous figure studies that enabled him to explore the full range of painterly effects. In the present work, the curves of the armchair covered in a green fabric with a red design create a rather noble setting for the model, whose sumptuous red dress appears to be harmonised with the brownish red of the background. He has also paid particular attention to the composition, establishing a dialogue between the curves of the figure and the furnishings and the rectangular divisions of the background.

Femme au fauteuil vert was once in the famed Canonne collection, formed by the Parisian pharmacist and industrialist Henri Canonne (1867-1961). Canonne became an avid purchaser of Impressionist, Neo and Post-Impressionist and Nabis paintings in the 1920s, forming an impressive collection of works by Renoir, Monet, Cézanne, Signac and Bonnard. Subsequently Gioconda King, an American philanthropist born in Costa Rica, bequeathed the work to the Metropolitan Museum of Art where it remained until 2004.

Fig. 1, Gabrielle in Renoir's studio at 38bis boulevard de Rochechouart, Paris, circa 1912-13