Alfred Stevens

Leroy (acquired directly from the artist in January 23, 1885 and sold, his sale, September 2, 1885)
Knoedler, New York

The artist's "Registre comptable," 1885, no. 62467

Unlined. Under UV: areas of inpainting at lower right, smaller spots along right edge; inpainting to address repaired tear to the gown ruffle about halfway between the chair and the floor, spots of inpainting in figure's face and her arm at right edge.
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During his lifetime and to this day, Alfred Stevens was most celebrated for his paintings of modern Parisian women, often harboring subtle, but poignant, emotional narratives. In La Femme et L'amour (L'amour qui vient), his subject is in love, emphasized by the putto on the balcony, and she has obviously been provoked and captivated by an amorous thought. Stevens uses this allegorical device in other paintings, recalling the whimsical style of a Fragonard painting or of Victorian fairy painting. Another version of this work with the same title was completed the same year in association with Stevens' student Paul Sinibaldi.