Durand-Ruel, Paris (acquired directly from the artist on 12th June 1902)
Léonce Rosenberg, Paris (acquired from the above on 22nd July 1914)
Acquired  by the family of the pre�𓃲�sent owner in Paris probably in the 1930s

The canvas appears to be unlined. There are two tiny spots of retouching in the upper right quadrant and a tiny line at the centre of the extreme right edge. There is a 2cm. thin scratch along the upper edge towards the upper left corner. All signs of retouching are visible under UV light. This work is in a very good condition.
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In keeping with his still life and figure paintings, Renoir's landscapes were frequentl💧y small in size and rapidly executed. In this particular work, Renoir uses thick impasto paint and energetic brushstrokes to instil in the work a vibrant, vivacious quality.

Like sketches completed en plein air,  Renoir's impression of this fertile rural scene suggests a fleeting moment, skilfully captured on canvas. However, the vivid choice of colour and carefully organised composition reveals the wo🍃rk to be far more than a simple sketch.

Renoir would undoubtedly have been influenced by the long line of French artists whose Classical style of painting preceded him and although the majority of his works were conceived en plein air  in the manner of the Impressionists, there are without doubt strong ties between his work and the more deeply considered art of the Old Masters. The work of Nicolas Poussin draws a particularly strong connection with that of Renoir (fig. 1), with the large tree located in the left foreground of Paysage used in a classical style to frame the composition and the receding landscap🌠e of rolling hills creating a strong sense of deဣpth. Likewise the inclusion of the two figures in the foreground of Renoir's composition, huddled together enjoying momentary relief from the bright afternoon sun, can be easily referenced to the figures of travellers, mythical characters and angels found in the work of the Old Masters.   

While this work perfectly captures Renoir's avant-garde edge, it likewise remains consistent in depicting him as 'a faithful priest of the art which is immortal because it is the earthly reflection of eternal, divine beauty'. (Nicholas Wadley, Renoir: A Retrospective, New York, 1987, p. 277).

FIG. 1, Nicolas Poussin, Landscape with a Boy drinking from a Stream, circa 1635, oil on canvas,&nb🙈sp;The National Gallery, London