Gaston La Touche, French 1854-1913- Maternité, 1910; oil on cradled panel, signed lower left, 76 x 80cm Provenance: Private Collection, Paris; Alon Zakaim, London, where purchased by the present owner. Note: This piece is a wonderful example of the...

Gaston La Touche, French 1854-1913- Maternité, 1910; oil on cradled panel, signed lower left, 76 x 80cm Provenance: Private Collection, Paris; Alon Zakaim, London, where purchased by the present owner. Note: This piece is a wonderful example of the work of the 19th-century French painter Gaston La Touche. The subject-matter of this painting, as an intimate depiction of a maternal scene, recalls the work of seventeenth-century European genre painters, whilst its execution displays the influence of artists such as Jean-Antoine Watteau and François Boucher. La Touche’s style also exhibits the influence of the Impressionist movement which was developing around him, as is evident in the free and loose application of paint, imbuing the scene with a sense of spontaneity and informality which is evident throughout much of the artist’s work. Despite combining these influences, this work exhibits La Touche’s own unique and instantly recognisable style which is evident, for example, in his liberal use of vibrant yellow tones in the window. Interestingly, the chair in which the mother is depicted as sitting in is still in the family's collection. La Touche was a member of the Societé National des Beaux Arts and the Societé des Artistes Francais, and was awarded the Legion d’honneur in 1900. His works are in prestigious collections around the world, such as the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Art Institute in Chicago, and the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. A particularly impressive example of La Touche’s work is on display at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. We are grateful to Roy Brindley and Selina Baring Maclennan for their assistance in cataloguing this lot, which is to be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné currently in preparation.