Lot Essay
Antoine Salomon will include this painting in his forthcoming Vuillard catalogue raisonn.
The present painting depicts Camillio and Leila Bassiano, the children of Roffredo and Marguerite Caetani, the prince and princess of Bassiano, seated in the garden of their family home Villa Romaine at Versailles.
Marguerite Caetani de Bassiano, born Marguerite Chapin, was a wealthy American expatriate who moved from New York to Paris in 1900 at the age of 19. Marguerite first met Vuillard on 11 March 1910 when she commissioned him to paint her portrait. The frequency of their meetings increased as they discussed the idea for a decorative panel which would be titled La Bibliotheque (coll. Muse d'Orsay, Paris). This panel would prove to be one of the most monumental and the last great decorative projects that Vuillard would undertake. Vuillard poured his creative energies into the commission for Marguerite and, as is evident from his journal entries, he thought constantly about the composition as well as his new, attractive patron.
After over six months of work on the panel Vuillard completed the project and installed it in Marguerite's apartment. Presumably Marquerite, like Vuillard, was pleased with the end result because immediately after it was installed she rewarded him with a commission to do another panel. Unfortunately, the amicable relationship between artist and patron was to come to an abrupt end when, upon returning from vacation, Vuillard received a letter from Felix Fnon saying that Marguerite had married the Prince of Bassiano after a whirlwind courtship, and wished to return the panel as it did not meet with her new husband's taste.
In spite of this tremendous disappointment to Vuillard both professionally and personally, the two did manage to reconcile over the next few years. Marguerite continued to purchase works from Vuillard and eventually commissioned him to paint a portrait of her children, for which the present work is a highly finished study.
The present painting depicts Camillio and Leila Bassiano, the children of Roffredo and Marguerite Caetani, the prince and princess of Bassiano, seated in the garden of their family home Villa Romaine at Versailles.
Marguerite Caetani de Bassiano, born Marguerite Chapin, was a wealthy American expatriate who moved from New York to Paris in 1900 at the age of 19. Marguerite first met Vuillard on 11 March 1910 when she commissioned him to paint her portrait. The frequency of their meetings increased as they discussed the idea for a decorative panel which would be titled La Bibliotheque (coll. Muse d'Orsay, Paris). This panel would prove to be one of the most monumental and the last great decorative projects that Vuillard would undertake. Vuillard poured his creative energies into the commission for Marguerite and, as is evident from his journal entries, he thought constantly about the composition as well as his new, attractive patron.
After over six months of work on the panel Vuillard completed the project and installed it in Marguerite's apartment. Presumably Marquerite, like Vuillard, was pleased with the end result because immediately after it was installed she rewarded him with a commission to do another panel. Unfortunately, the amicable relationship between artist and patron was to come to an abrupt end when, upon returning from vacation, Vuillard received a letter from Felix Fnon saying that Marguerite had married the Prince of Bassiano after a whirlwind courtship, and wished to return the panel as it did not meet with her new husband's taste.
In spite of this tremendous disappointment to Vuillard both professionally and personally, the two did manage to reconcile over the next few years. Marguerite continued to purchase works from Vuillard and eventually commissioned him to paint a portrait of her children, for which the present work is a highly finished study.