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Lot Essay
La vallée de la Seine aux Damps, jardin d'Octave Mirbeau was
painted on the occasion of Pissarro's stay with Octave Mirbeau and his wife, who had invited Pissarro to spend a little under a fortnight,
from 8 to 21 September 1892, at their home at Les Damps, near
Pont-de-l'Arche in the department of the Eure. Octave Mirbeau was one
of the most important critics in the field of art and literature of the late 19th century and contributed substantially to the careers of
Pissarro, Rodin, Signac and Monet amongst others. It was whilst staying with the Mirbeaus at Les Damps that Pissarro found the time to paint
four pictures, three views of his friend's garden (P & D-RS 953 to 955) and the present work which depicts a sweeping vista of the Seine valley. Pisarro appears to have been very pleased with his visit thanking his hosts profusely: 'You spoiled me royally during my stay at Les Damps, spoiled me far too much, and I don't know how to thank Madame Mirbeau for going to such trouble' (quoted in Bailly-Herzberg loc. cit). Pisarro proclaimed himself satisfied with all four of the Les Damps group.
On 22 November 1892, Pisarro again wrote to Mirbeau, 'I'm planning to have an exhibition at Durand-Ruel's in the Spring. Nothing as yet has been settled with Durand, Lord, things don't move as fast as that in that business, not when the artist isn't absolutely essential...He probably suspects I'm hard up, we watch each other, trying to find each other's weak spot, we're going at it like two boxers, I'm thin and wheezy, he's very stocky and bandy-legged, so I try to outsmart him...' (quoted in J.Pisarro & Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, Camille Pisarro, catalogue critique des peintures, vol. I, Paris, 2005, p.32). Elated with the success of his January 1892 exhibition at Durand-Ruel's and not having received other serious offers from other galleries, Pisarro negotiated with Durand-Ruel to hold another exhibition from 15-30 March 1893, the exhibition was to include forty-five oils and one distemper, most of them painted in 1892-93, including La vallée de la Seine aux Damps, jardin d'Octave Mirbeau. In preparation for the Spring exhibition Durand-Ruel bought three of the Les Damps pictures including the present work, as well as approximately fourteen further canvases from Pissarro on 3rd December.
In the March 1893 Durand-Ruel exhibition catalogue, the cover of which was designed by the artist's son Lucien, the pictures are arranged by series: eight views of Kew Gardens dated 1892, nineteen views from the artist's window at Érangy painted between the winters of 1891 and 1893, ten works grouped as 'Landscapes' that date from 1884 to 1893, five figures and the four views of Octave Mirbeau's garden at Les Damps, one of which was on loan from the writer. Although Pissarro was nervous before the exhibition it was financially a great success and Durand-Ruel bought up any of those canvases that were unsold. La vallée de la Seine aux Damps, jardin d'Octave Mirbeau was bought in the exhibition by the collector Émilie Boivin (who owned three other works by Pissarro and had remained in the Boivin family to the present day.
S 953 to 955) and the present work which depicts a sweeping vista of the Seine valley. Pissarro appears to have been very pleased with his visit thanking his hosts profusely: 'You spoiled me royally during my stay at Les Damps, spoiled me far too much, and I don't know how to thank Madame Mirbeau for going to such trouble (quoted in Bailly-Herzberg loc. cit). Pissarro proclaimed himself satisfied with all four of the Les Damps group.
On 22 November 1892, Pissarro again wrote to Mirbeau, 'I'm planning to have an exhibition at Durand-Ruel's in the Spring. Nothing as yet has been settled with Durand, Lord, things don't move as fast as that in that business, not when the artist isn't absolutely essential... He probably suspects I'm hard up, we watch each other, trying to find each other's weak spot, we're going at it like two boxers, I'm thin and wheezy, he's very stocky and bandy-legged, so I try to outsmart him...' (quoted in J.Pissarro & Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, Camille Pissarro, catalogue critique des peintures, vol. I, Paris, 2005, p. 32). Elated with the success of his January 1892 exhibition at Durand-Ruel's and not having received other serious offers from other galleries, Pissarro negotiated with Durand-Ruel to hold another exhibition from 15-30 March 1893, the exhibition was to include forty-five oils and one distemper, most of them painted in 1892-93, including La vallée de la Seine aux Damps, jardin d'Octave Mirbeau. In preparation for the Spring exhibition Durand-Ruel bought three of the Les Damps pictures including the present work, as well as approximately fourteen further canvases from Pissarro on 3rd December.
In the March 1893 Durand-Ruel exhibition catalogue, the cover of which was designed by the artist's son Lucien, the pictures are arranged by series: eight fews of Kew Gardens dates 1892, nineteen views from the artist's window at Éragy painted between the winters of 1891 and 1893, ten works grouped as 'Landscapes' that date from 1884 to 1893, five figures and the four views of Octave Mirbeau's garden at Les Damps, one of which was on loan from the writer. Although Pissarro was nervous before the exhibition it was financially a great success and Durand-Ruel bought up any of those canvases that were unsold. La vallée de la Seine aux Damps, jardin d'Octave Mirbeau was bought in the exhibition by the collector Émilie Boivin (who owned three other works by Pissarro) and has remained in the Boivin family to the present day.
painted on the occasion of Pissarro's stay with Octave Mirbeau and his wife, who had invited Pissarro to spend a little under a fortnight,
from 8 to 21 September 1892, at their home at Les Damps, near
Pont-de-l'Arche in the department of the Eure. Octave Mirbeau was one
of the most important critics in the field of art and literature of the late 19th century and contributed substantially to the careers of
Pissarro, Rodin, Signac and Monet amongst others. It was whilst staying with the Mirbeaus at Les Damps that Pissarro found the time to paint
four pictures, three views of his friend's garden (P & D-RS 953 to 955) and the present work which depicts a sweeping vista of the Seine valley. Pisarro appears to have been very pleased with his visit thanking his hosts profusely: 'You spoiled me royally during my stay at Les Damps, spoiled me far too much, and I don't know how to thank Madame Mirbeau for going to such trouble' (quoted in Bailly-Herzberg loc. cit). Pisarro proclaimed himself satisfied with all four of the Les Damps group.
On 22 November 1892, Pisarro again wrote to Mirbeau, 'I'm planning to have an exhibition at Durand-Ruel's in the Spring. Nothing as yet has been settled with Durand, Lord, things don't move as fast as that in that business, not when the artist isn't absolutely essential...He probably suspects I'm hard up, we watch each other, trying to find each other's weak spot, we're going at it like two boxers, I'm thin and wheezy, he's very stocky and bandy-legged, so I try to outsmart him...' (quoted in J.Pisarro & Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, Camille Pisarro, catalogue critique des peintures, vol. I, Paris, 2005, p.32). Elated with the success of his January 1892 exhibition at Durand-Ruel's and not having received other serious offers from other galleries, Pisarro negotiated with Durand-Ruel to hold another exhibition from 15-30 March 1893, the exhibition was to include forty-five oils and one distemper, most of them painted in 1892-93, including La vallée de la Seine aux Damps, jardin d'Octave Mirbeau. In preparation for the Spring exhibition Durand-Ruel bought three of the Les Damps pictures including the present work, as well as approximately fourteen further canvases from Pissarro on 3rd December.
In the March 1893 Durand-Ruel exhibition catalogue, the cover of which was designed by the artist's son Lucien, the pictures are arranged by series: eight views of Kew Gardens dated 1892, nineteen views from the artist's window at Érangy painted between the winters of 1891 and 1893, ten works grouped as 'Landscapes' that date from 1884 to 1893, five figures and the four views of Octave Mirbeau's garden at Les Damps, one of which was on loan from the writer. Although Pissarro was nervous before the exhibition it was financially a great success and Durand-Ruel bought up any of those canvases that were unsold. La vallée de la Seine aux Damps, jardin d'Octave Mirbeau was bought in the exhibition by the collector Émilie Boivin (who owned three other works by Pissarro and had remained in the Boivin family to the present day.
S 953 to 955) and the present work which depicts a sweeping vista of the Seine valley. Pissarro appears to have been very pleased with his visit thanking his hosts profusely: 'You spoiled me royally during my stay at Les Damps, spoiled me far too much, and I don't know how to thank Madame Mirbeau for going to such trouble (quoted in Bailly-Herzberg loc. cit). Pissarro proclaimed himself satisfied with all four of the Les Damps group.
On 22 November 1892, Pissarro again wrote to Mirbeau, 'I'm planning to have an exhibition at Durand-Ruel's in the Spring. Nothing as yet has been settled with Durand, Lord, things don't move as fast as that in that business, not when the artist isn't absolutely essential... He probably suspects I'm hard up, we watch each other, trying to find each other's weak spot, we're going at it like two boxers, I'm thin and wheezy, he's very stocky and bandy-legged, so I try to outsmart him...' (quoted in J.Pissarro & Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, Camille Pissarro, catalogue critique des peintures, vol. I, Paris, 2005, p. 32). Elated with the success of his January 1892 exhibition at Durand-Ruel's and not having received other serious offers from other galleries, Pissarro negotiated with Durand-Ruel to hold another exhibition from 15-30 March 1893, the exhibition was to include forty-five oils and one distemper, most of them painted in 1892-93, including La vallée de la Seine aux Damps, jardin d'Octave Mirbeau. In preparation for the Spring exhibition Durand-Ruel bought three of the Les Damps pictures including the present work, as well as approximately fourteen further canvases from Pissarro on 3rd December.
In the March 1893 Durand-Ruel exhibition catalogue, the cover of which was designed by the artist's son Lucien, the pictures are arranged by series: eight fews of Kew Gardens dates 1892, nineteen views from the artist's window at Éragy painted between the winters of 1891 and 1893, ten works grouped as 'Landscapes' that date from 1884 to 1893, five figures and the four views of Octave Mirbeau's garden at Les Damps, one of which was on loan from the writer. Although Pissarro was nervous before the exhibition it was financially a great success and Durand-Ruel bought up any of those canvases that were unsold. La vallée de la Seine aux Damps, jardin d'Octave Mirbeau was bought in the exhibition by the collector Émilie Boivin (who owned three other works by Pissarro) and has remained in the Boivin family to the present day.