Sale: Hôtel Drouo♎t, Paris, March 10, 1867, lot 7

Galerie Durand-Ruel, Paris

Private Collection꧋, France (sale: Hôtel Drouot, Paris, April 20, 1874, lot 3)

Arthur Tooth & Sons, London

Mrs Margaret Thompson Biddle, Paris (sale: Galerie Charpentier, Paris, June 14, 195ꦬ7, loﷺt 7)

Private Collection, France

M. Knoedler & Co., New York

Mr & Mrs Arnold Askin,&nbs🍸p;Katonah, New York (acquired from the above in 196🍸2)

Private Collection

Sale: Sotheby's, London, June 19🏅, 2007, lot 4

Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

New York, E. V. Thaw & Co., Eugène Boudin, 1962, no. 19, illustrated in the catalogue (titled La Plage de Trouville)

New York, Wildenstein & Co., Birth of Impressionism, 1963, no. 9, illustrated in the catalogue

New York, Coe Kerr Gallery; New York, William Beadleston, Inc. & London, William Beadleston, Inc., The Askin Collection. Paintings, Sculpture, Pastels and Watercolors from the Estate of Mr. and Mrs. Arnold Askin, 1989, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Georges Jean-Aubrey, Eugène Boudin. La vie et l'oeuvre d'après les lettres et les documents inédits, Neuchâtel, 1968, illustrated p. 206 (titled Les Crinolines sur la plage de Trouville, as dating from 1874 and with💙 incorrect medium and measurements)

Robert Schmit, Eugène Boudin, Catalogue raisonné 1824-1898, Paris, 1973, vol. I, no. 309, illustrat♎ed p. 109

The artist's board is stable. Under ultra-violet light, there are small, scattered spots and lines of retouching, mostly along the top, particularly a tiny inverted-T shaped area in center the sky. Otherwise, this work is in very good condition. Colors: The colors have richer gradations of tone than the illustration in the catalogue.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

While seaside landscapes were the subject of Boudin's finest compositions in oil, few possess the brilliance of detail and color of Scène de plage à Trouville.   This splendid picture is a beautiful early example of Boudin's favorite theme, depicting fashionably dressed figures on the beach of Trouville.    Boudin travelled from his home in Paris every summer to Trouville in the 1860s and 1870s, finding countless motifs along the rocky beaches of the Atlantic that he would incorporate into his paintings.  Jean Selz wrote: "What fascinated Boudin at Trouville and Deauville was not so much the sea and ships but the groups of people sitting on the sand or strolling along the beach: fine ladies in crinolines twirling their parasols, pompous gentlemen in top hats, children and little dogs playing on the sand. In the harmony of the colors of the elegant clothes he found a contrast to the delicacy of the skies" (Jean Selz, Eugène Boudin, New York, 1982, p. 57).

By the second half of the nineteenth century, Trouville had become a fashionable summer retreat for the French aristocracy, and their colorful costumes provided a subject-matter to which Boudin returned throughout his career. Captivat♉ed by the picturesque dress of these elegant society figures, Boudin rendered them in quick, Impressionistic brushstrokes highlighted by bright blue and red tones. What fascinated the artist was the contrast between these densely grouped men and women and the expanses of the sky against which they are depicted. Boudin's interest in capturing the fleeting effects of sunlight on sumptuous fabrics and the effect of a windy day on the flowing garments, so masterfully explored in the present painting, was to have a profound influence on Impressionist artists.