Pierre-Auguste Renoir

(French, 1841–1919)

Au Moulin de la Galette, c. 1895-1905

pastel counterproof on Japan paper

18 5/8 x 24 inches.

Provenance:

Ambroise Vollard, Paris

Henri M. Petiet, Paris, after 1939

Thence by descent through the family

Marc Rosen Fine Art, Ltd. and Adelson Galleries, New York, by 2005

Exhibited:

New York, Adelson Galleries, Renoir: The Pastel Counterproofs, November 1 - December 23, 2005, no. 1, pp. 18-19, illus.

At the behest of Parisian art dealer Ambroise Vollard, from 1895 to 1905 French lithographer Auguste Clot created a series of counterproofs after pastels by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. To create the artworks, Clot applied a damp sheet of tissue-thin Japan paper over a pastel drawing and pulled the two sheets through a lithographic press. This created a mirror image softer in tone than the original pastels, but which retain their ethereal qualities. The original pastel, c. 1875-76, of the present lot is in the National Museum, Belgrade, Serbia (illustrated in Denis Rouart, The Unknown Degas and Renoir in the National Museum of Belgrade, New York, 1964, pp. 98-9).

Renoir gave Vollard his blessing to make the counterproofs; however, the dealer kept them hidden on expectations of a rising art market. After Vollard’s death in 1939, the collection was acquired by Henri Petiet, a Parisian print dealer and collector. The counterproofs descended through the Petiet family after his death in the early 1980s. Marc Rosen, a New York dealer, discovered the counterproofs in early 2004 when the heirs asked him to review the estate. In 2005, 34 of the re-discovered counterproofs were exhibited for the first time in a century in Renoir: The Pastel Counterproofs, held at Adelson Galleries in New York, in conjunction with Marc Rosen.

Framed: 30 1/2 x 36 inches.
Tissue: 19 1/4 x 24 inches.
Laid to support sheet measuring 22 x 27 1/4 inches.
Slight uneven toning to sheet, surface dirt, otherwise appears to be in good, stable condition. Please request additional images.

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As the head of Hindman’s Fine Art Department, Mr. Stanfield is instrumental in bringing in major consignments from private collectors, estates, dealers and institutions. He has led the department to dozens of auction records, with a particular focus on Chicago Modernism. Mr. Stanfield has played an integral role in the development of the American & European and Post War & Contemporary Art categories, with the most successful year for the department in company history coming in 2021. He also oversaw a house record for total sales for a week of Fine Art auctions in May 2022. Mr. Stanfield is also the lead auctioneer for the Fine Art sales at Hindman. Prior to returning to Hindman in 2019, he was at Toomey & Co. for eight years, where he oversaw important collections including the estate of Candice B. Groot, the collection of Governor Jim Thompson, and the estate of Robert E. Beck. Mr. Stanfield earned a BA from the University of Kansas where he studied Art History.

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Prints and Multiples

Au Moulin de la Galette, c. 1895-1905

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