Galerie Georges Petit, Paris
Arthur Tooth & Sons, London
Private Collection
Estate of Edmard Hosmer, Montreal
Thence by descent

Robert Schmit, Eugène Boudin, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, vol. II, Paris, 1973, no. 1134, illustrated p. 392

Canvas is lined. Under UV light scattered strokes of inpainting throughout the sky, particularly concentrated in upper right quadrant, a few large strokes in the center of top edge. Scattered spots in upper left quadrant and strokes at top of left edge and upper right corner to address frame abrasion. Otherwise fine. Work is in good condition.
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.

Among the masters of early Impressionist painting, Boudin has been long associated with sailing ships at the bustling ports of Bordeaux. Boudin was influenced by his childhood spent along the coasts of Normandy and was advised by Dutch painter and friend Johan Barthold Jongkind to paint en plein air. Boudin was praised as a painter of the skies by his acquaintances including Jean-François Millet and Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, as he possessed the incredible ability to capture the subtleties of the sky unlike any other artist of his time. This style was a precursor to the younger generation of Impressionists, as Boudin's strong preoccupation with the depiction of light and atmospheric effects strongly influenced Claude Monet. Monet paid tribute to Boudin's style and was quoted watching Boudin paint, "Suddenly it was as if a veil had been torn from my eyes. I understood what painting could be. Boudin's absorption in his work, and his independence, were enough to decide the entire future and development of my painting" (quoted in Peter C. Sutton, Boudin: Impressionist and Marine Paintings (exhibition catalogue),  Peabody Museum of Salem, Massachusetts, 1991, p. 54).

Bordeaux, Trois-mats ancrés sur la Garonne pays hommage to the old ships and is a composition of one of the artist's beloved nautical seascapes. Boudin escaped the confines of Paris to connect with the natural landscape and traveled extensively around Europe in the 1870's, remaining steadfast in his dedication to the sea and to rendering the the interplay of nature and modern society. Desmond Fitzgerald, an early collector of Impressionist art, wrote that Boudin, "has been called an artist sorti de la mer (risen from the sea)" (quoted in Sutton, ibid., p. 17).  

Here, Boudin has used a carefully crafted palette to evoke a coastal view of Bordeaux. The gestural rendering of the approaching clouds and painterly evocation of overcast weather is one of Boudin's many different permutations of the changing sky. With delicate yet deliberate, rapid brushstrokes to paint the ripples of the sea and the dark silhouettes of the merchant vessels dancing beneath their hulls, Boudin has captured and created a sense of unparalled dynamism.  In the words of the artist about his boats, "...I flatter myself in believing that people will look at them in the future with interest and find there the charm, the rigging and the condition of our ports in our time" (quoted in Ruth J. Benjamin, Eugène Boudin, New York, 1937, p. 90).