Porteuse de fagots

Details

Thédore-Etienne-Pierre Rousseau (French, 1812-1867)
Porteuse de fagots
signed 'TH. Rousseau' (lower left)
oil on panel
16¾ x 25¾ in. (42.5 x 65.5 cm.)
Painted circa 1836-40

Provenance

with Boussoud, Valadon & Cie., Paris.
James Duncan, Great Britian.
with M. Knoedler & Co., New York.
Edwin Thorne, New York (acquired from the above).
with M. Knoedler & Co., New York.
Mr. Andrews (acquired from the above, 1892).
Theodore M. Davis, New York and Rhode Island.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (gift from the above); Parke-Bernet, New York, 27-28 March 1956, lot 113 (as Evening).
Helen Lurie (aquired at the above sale).

Literature

M. Schulman, Théodore Rousseau, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, Paris, 1999, no. 583 (illustrated).

Sale room notice

Please note the following revised provenance:

Painted circa 1836-40.

Boussoud, Valadon & Cie., Paris.
James Duncan, Great Britain.
M. Knoedler & Co., New York.
Edwin Thorne, New York (acquired from the above).
M. Knoedler & Co., New York.
Mr. Andrews (acquired from the above).
Theodore M. Davis, New York and Rhode Island.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (gift from the above); Parke-Bernet, New York, 27-28 March 1956, lot 113 (as Evening).
Helen Lurie (acquired at the above sale).

The Comité Théodore Rousseau will include this work in their forthcoming Rousseau catalogue raisonné.

Lot Essay

Michel Schulman has noted that the present work, painted circa 1860, depicts the same location as Paysage d'été, 1850-55 (sold Christie's, New York, 2 May 2001, lot 92) (Schulman, no. 438) and affirms that Rousseau returned frequently to the same countryside spots to paint. Standing in marked contrast to Rousseau's earlier landscapes, which were rocky, severe and dominated by a darker palette of colors, Porteuse de fagots is a mature work that displays a signature luminosity - perfected through a technique in which the artist builds up a lively, light-filled surface made possible by delicate touches of translucent glazes. Through the subtle gradation of tone and color, the landscape takes on a character of its own. Rarely populated by many figures, Rousseau's work succeeds in communicating the purity of life in the country and the benevolent harmonies between man and nature.

The Comité Théodore Rousseau will include this work in their forthcoming Rousseau catalogue raisonné.

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