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Lot Essay
Much like his friend Edgar Degas, Jean-François Raffaëlli embodied what the French critic Charles Baudelaire famously called 'the painter of modern life.' A detached observer amidst the crowds on the grand boulevards of a newly 'Haussmann-ized' Paris, Raffaëlli captured the spectacle of public life. In his early career, Raffaëlli's work tended towards Realism as he frequently painted the urban poor with a notable sense of compassion. In 1880 and 1881, Raffaëlli exhibited at the Impressionist exhibitions at Degas' urging despite, at the time, sharing few affinities with the group. Beginning in the 1890s, however, Raffaëlli changed course, focusing his attention on painting Paris's well-to-do.
Painted in 1893, the present painting sees Raffaëlli turning his eye toward the wide, bustling Place de la Concorde, looking across the river toward the Assemblée nationale and the twin spires of the Basilique Ste-Clotilde. The wide boulevards of the city, with cafés and shops frequented by elegantly dressed men and women, became much like an outdoor stage for Raffaëlli and his contemporaries where they could view the city's elite. While the Impressionists like Camille Pissarro and Gustave Caillebotte both painted Paris from panoramic bird's eye views, Raffaëlli tended to prefer an intimate street-level scene, where he could depict individualized figures. Les nourrices sur la place de la Concorde, with its bold cropping and off-center placement of the primary figures suggests more the influence of Degas than Pissarro or Caillebotte. Indeed, it is the psychological isolation of the figures - even between the two nursemaids who assuredly work together - the careful attention to fashion and the sense of capturing a private moment in a public space which are all hallmarks of Degas' style. Above all, however, Les nourrices sur la place de la Concorde reveals Raffaëlli's central belief that an artist's duty was to render the essence of contemporary society in which he lived.
The authenticity of the present work has been confirmed by Galerie Brame et Lorençeau, Paris, and is accompanied by a letter from them dated 4 May 2026. The work will be included in their forthcoming digital catalogue critique on the artist.
Painted in 1893, the present painting sees Raffaëlli turning his eye toward the wide, bustling Place de la Concorde, looking across the river toward the Assemblée nationale and the twin spires of the Basilique Ste-Clotilde. The wide boulevards of the city, with cafés and shops frequented by elegantly dressed men and women, became much like an outdoor stage for Raffaëlli and his contemporaries where they could view the city's elite. While the Impressionists like Camille Pissarro and Gustave Caillebotte both painted Paris from panoramic bird's eye views, Raffaëlli tended to prefer an intimate street-level scene, where he could depict individualized figures. Les nourrices sur la place de la Concorde, with its bold cropping and off-center placement of the primary figures suggests more the influence of Degas than Pissarro or Caillebotte. Indeed, it is the psychological isolation of the figures - even between the two nursemaids who assuredly work together - the careful attention to fashion and the sense of capturing a private moment in a public space which are all hallmarks of Degas' style. Above all, however, Les nourrices sur la place de la Concorde reveals Raffaëlli's central belief that an artist's duty was to render the essence of contemporary society in which he lived.
The authenticity of the present work has been confirmed by Galerie Brame et Lorençeau, Paris, and is accompanied by a letter from them dated 4 May 2026. The work will be included in their forthcoming digital catalogue critique on the artist.