Lot Essay
Le Chapeau Epinglé is one of Pierre-Auguste Renoir's earliest and most successful ventures into color lithography. It is unclear whether he began exploring color printmaking of his own accord, perhaps inspired by the colorful works of his peintre-gravure compatriots, or whether he was encouraged to produce more saleable, large format color prints by the influential dealer and publisher, Ambroise Vollard.
This charming depiction of Berthe Morisot's daughter pinning a cousin's hat is closely related to a pastel of 1893 (last cited in a private collection in Tokyo) and several small black and white etchings executed circa 1894. Of the four subjects which Renoir would eventually edition in colors, Le Chapeau Epinglé is the only one for which he drew the subject on two separate but related stones (1re planche and 2e planche).
Master printer Auguste Clot worked closely with Renoir on the editioning of his color lithographs. The present lot is a black impression of the artist's first version of this subject which was either specially worked and hand-signed as a gift for a close friend or associate, or carefully enhanced for Clot's reference in the editioning of the more elaborate second version (see lot 284) printed with multiple colors and two signatures.
To date, we have not located any other examples of this rare combination of media in any Renoir print collections in the United States. We are most grateful, however, to M. Yves Lebouc of Bouquinerie de L'Institut, Paris, for confirming the existence of three lithographs with pastel additions in European and Australian collections.
Claude Roger-Marx and Una Johnson both mention the existence of a maquette for Le Chapeau Épinglé, 2e planche, printed in black with colors applied in pastel and watercolor in their writings about Renoir. A. Hyatt Mayor, in a more generalized discussion, goes further by saying, "Renoir in his 50's made a few prints in techniques handy for a pencil draftsman and watercolorist--soft-ground etching and transfer lithography. He would watercolor a black and white lithographic proof for Clot to imitate in color lithography." (Prints and People)
As neither Roger-Marx nor Johnson cite specific examples of the maquettes they mention, it must be presumed that they were acting on information concerning this print or other examples without actually seeing a hand-colored impression. The present lot, purchased in Europe over 65 years ago, has been owned by the same family and has never been publicly exhibited.
This charming depiction of Berthe Morisot's daughter pinning a cousin's hat is closely related to a pastel of 1893 (last cited in a private collection in Tokyo) and several small black and white etchings executed circa 1894. Of the four subjects which Renoir would eventually edition in colors, Le Chapeau Epinglé is the only one for which he drew the subject on two separate but related stones (1re planche and 2e planche).
Master printer Auguste Clot worked closely with Renoir on the editioning of his color lithographs. The present lot is a black impression of the artist's first version of this subject which was either specially worked and hand-signed as a gift for a close friend or associate, or carefully enhanced for Clot's reference in the editioning of the more elaborate second version (see lot 284) printed with multiple colors and two signatures.
To date, we have not located any other examples of this rare combination of media in any Renoir print collections in the United States. We are most grateful, however, to M. Yves Lebouc of Bouquinerie de L'Institut, Paris, for confirming the existence of three lithographs with pastel additions in European and Australian collections.
Claude Roger-Marx and Una Johnson both mention the existence of a maquette for Le Chapeau Épinglé, 2e planche, printed in black with colors applied in pastel and watercolor in their writings about Renoir. A. Hyatt Mayor, in a more generalized discussion, goes further by saying, "Renoir in his 50's made a few prints in techniques handy for a pencil draftsman and watercolorist--soft-ground etching and transfer lithography. He would watercolor a black and white lithographic proof for Clot to imitate in color lithography." (Prints and People)
As neither Roger-Marx nor Johnson cite specific examples of the maquettes they mention, it must be presumed that they were acting on information concerning this print or other examples without actually seeing a hand-colored impression. The present lot, purchased in Europe over 65 years ago, has been owned by the same family and has never been publicly exhibited.