Lot Essay
La Closerie des Gents was the Vuillard family home in Vaucresson from 1918 to 1922, and from 1924 to 1925. The wallpaper that appears in the present work adorned the walls of the family dining room in the house.
Elizabeth W. Easton describes the important role Vuillard's mother played in his life and art. "The central character in may of these works (of seamstresses)....is Marie Justine Alexandrine Michaud Vuillard, the painter's mother, whom he called his muse. Whether she is shown at work, as here, or at rest.... the paintings pay homage to her and to her profession; they are lyrical tributes to the subject of women at work" (E.W. Easton, "Icons of Inwardness; The Sewing Paintings," The Intimate Interiors of Edouard Vuillard, exh. cat., Houston, The Museum of Fine Arts, 1989-1990, p. 26).
Elizabeth W. Easton describes the important role Vuillard's mother played in his life and art. "The central character in may of these works (of seamstresses)....is Marie Justine Alexandrine Michaud Vuillard, the painter's mother, whom he called his muse. Whether she is shown at work, as here, or at rest.... the paintings pay homage to her and to her profession; they are lyrical tributes to the subject of women at work" (E.W. Easton, "Icons of Inwardness; The Sewing Paintings," The Intimate Interiors of Edouard Vuillard, exh. cat., Houston, The Museum of Fine Arts, 1989-1990, p. 26).