Eugène Boudin (French, 1824–1898), , La Provende des
Eugène Boudin (French, 1824–1898)
La Provende des Poules
Signed, located and dated 'E. Boudin/Fervaques 76' bottom left, oil on canvas
14 x 10 3/4 in. (35.6 x 27.3cm)
PROVENANCE:
Collection of Ch. Ricada, Paris.
Collection of Dr. Delineau, Paris.
His sale, Hôtel Drouot, sale of February 1, 1901, lot 25.
Acquired directly from the above sale.
Private Collection.
Private Collection, New York.
LITERATURE:
Robert Schmit, Catalogue Raisonné de L’OEuvre Peint d'Eugène Boudin, Galerie Schmit, Paris, 1973, Vol. I, no. 1146, p. 396 (not illustrated, listed as Cour de Ferme).
NOTE:
Normandy remained Boudin's land of predilection throughout his entire career-a safe harbor to which he would repeatedly return, wandering between Le Havre and Deauville in search of inspiration. The small, sixty-five-mile-long coastal river Touques particularly appealed to him. It was along its course, in the valley and in the surrounding villages, that Boudin planted his easel and painted for some forty years the same places and people, true to his desire to instantaneously capture atmospheric effects in places he already knew but enjoyed rediscovering under different lights. It is in Fervaques that Boudin painted the most from 1869 to 1897, staying with his friends Dr. Eugène Jaquette and his wife Stéphanie, who also hosted the Dutch painter Johan Jongkind (who first encouraged Boudin to work en plein-air) and supported local artists, buying and collecting their work. While in Fervaques, Boudin captured several views of the village, its market stall, and the nearby houses and farmhouses, as shown in the present work.
In the middle of a closed farmyard, not too far from a well, a peasant woman is feeding a hungry group of roosters and hens at her feet. A tied-up horse can be seen behind her, resting under a small awning covered with brown tiles overhung by thick green foliage. The farmyard appears quiet, bathed in a soft morning light that delicately hits the walls of the old building to the left. The present work was completed after Boudin's sojourn to Berk and Boulogne, two northern cities that Boudin visited to try new motifs; it also precedes the artist's journey to the Netherlands, especially Rotterdam, where Boudin recorded the local fishermen and flower girls. The painting reminds the viewer not to neglect other, lesser-known aspects of Boudin's œuvre. Indeed, the artist did not only paint beaches and skies, but he also liked to depict Normandy's meadows and cows, its local inhabitants and their simple daily lives, rendering them with the utmost respect. Boudin here uses his trained eye to individualize each subject, from the chickens to the farm girl, depicting them with either finesse and detail, or through quick spots of color and energetic brushstrokes, contributing to the lively, yet timeless, picturesque atmosphere of the scene. Dimensions:
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
Eugène Boudin (French, 1824–1898)
La Provende des Poules
Signed, located and dated 'E. Boudin/Fervaques 76' bottom left, oil on canvas
14 x 10 3/4 in. (35.6 x 27.3cm)
PROVENANCE:
Collection of Ch. Ricada, Paris.
Collection of Dr. Delineau, Paris.
His sale, Hôtel Drouot, sale of February 1, 1901, lot 25.
Acquired directly from the above sale.
Private Collection.
Private Collection, New York.
LITERATURE:
Robert Schmit, Catalogue Raisonné de L’OEuvre Peint d'Eugène Boudin, Galerie Schmit, Paris, 1973, Vol. I, no. 1146, p. 396 (not illustrated, listed as Cour de Ferme).
NOTE:
Normandy remained Boudin's land of predilection throughout his entire career-a safe harbor to which he would repeatedly return, wandering between Le Havre and Deauville in search of inspiration. The small, sixty-five-mile-long coastal river Touques particularly appealed to him. It was along its course, in the valley and in the surrounding villages, that Boudin planted his easel and painted for some forty years the same places and people, true to his desire to instantaneously capture atmospheric effects in places he already knew but enjoyed rediscovering under different lights. It is in Fervaques that Boudin painted the most from 1869 to 1897, staying with his friends Dr. Eugène Jaquette and his wife Stéphanie, who also hosted the Dutch painter Johan Jongkind (who first encouraged Boudin to work en plein-air) and supported local artists, buying and collecting their work. While in Fervaques, Boudin captured several views of the village, its market stall, and the nearby houses and farmhouses, as shown in the present work.
In the middle of a closed farmyard, not too far from a well, a peasant woman is feeding a hungry group of roosters and hens at her feet. A tied-up horse can be seen behind her, resting under a small awning covered with brown tiles overhung by thick green foliage. The farmyard appears quiet, bathed in a soft morning light that delicately hits the walls of the old building to the left. The present work was completed after Boudin's sojourn to Berk and Boulogne, two northern cities that Boudin visited to try new motifs; it also precedes the artist's journey to the Netherlands, especially Rotterdam, where Boudin recorded the local fishermen and flower girls. The painting reminds the viewer not to neglect other, lesser-known aspects of Boudin's œuvre. Indeed, the artist did not only paint beaches and skies, but he also liked to depict Normandy's meadows and cows, its local inhabitants and their simple daily lives, rendering them with the utmost respect. Boudin here uses his trained eye to individualize each subject, from the chickens to the farm girl, depicting them with either finesse and detail, or through quick spots of color and energetic brushstrokes, contributing to the lively, yet timeless, picturesque atmosphere of the scene. Dimensions:
Sale price
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
