Old Masters & 19th Century Art

Provenance:

Sold: Christie's East, New York, September 11, 2001, Lot 208

Sold: Bonhams, Los Angeles, March 26, 2019, Lot 550 (as Attributed to Eugène Fromentin and titled Etude faite sur nature (a pair))

Acquired from the above sale by the present owner

Framed: 43 1/2 x 37 3/4 in. (each)

The first:
Moderate deposits of surface dirt, dust, and grime; canvas is not lined and somewhat loose on the stretcher; network of craquelures throughout the surface; stretcher bar marks around the image perimeter, as well as horizontally through the center; a vertical tear along the upper right edge, approximately 3 inches in length; a pinpoint partial hole along the upper left edge, accompanied by paint losses; an area of lifting craquelure and uneven paint texture that was previously repaired in the lower left corner; instances of pinpoint to small paint losses in scattered areas; two areas of past repairs visible on the verso in the upper center and center left, accompanied by inpainting on the recto; additional areas of inpainting scattered throughout the sky and in small areas of the ground, birds, and vegetation, mostly visible under raking light; under an unevenly discolored and reflective varnish. Under UV light: the aforementioned areas of inpainting fluoresce.

The second:
Moderate deposits of surface dirt, dust, and grime; canvas is not lined and somewhat loose on the stretcher; network of craquelures throughout the surface; stretcher bar marks around the image perimeter, as well as horizontally through the center; one hole, approximately 1/2 x 1/2 inches in area, in the upper left corner; two smaller holes in the upper center, as well as one partial hole in the lower center; localized areas of paint losses along the center right edge, in the center, as well as few small dots along the lower right and lower center edges; there is a partially protruding stretcher nail along the lower center edge; possible areas of inpainting in the sky, within the upper center and upper right corner; under an unevenly discolored and reflective varnish. Under UV light: the aforementioned areas of inpainting within the sky do not fluoresce; pinpoint spots of possible inpainting fluoresce throughout the sky; a line of inpainting along the lower right edge.

Additional images available upon request.

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