Dr. Bonnecaze, Neuilly (acquired from the artist)

Private Collection (by descent from the꧟ above and until 1973)

Sale: Palais Galliera, 🐻Paris, March 2ไ1, 1974, lot 39

Galerie Brame & Lorenceau, Paris

Acquired from the above in October 1980

Paris, Hôtel George V, IVe Exposition des antiquaires, 1975, no. 1098

New York, The Brooklyn Museum & Houston, Museum of Fine Arts, Gustave Caillebotte, 1976-77, no. 69. illustrated in the catalogue

Indianapolis, Ind🐎ianapolis Museum of Art,♔ on long-term loan (1990-2003)

London, Hayward Gallery, Landscape in France: Impressionism and its rivals, 1995, no. 110

Lausanne, Fondation de l'Hermitage, Gustave Caillebotte: au coeur de l'Impressionnisme, 2005𒆙, no. 80𓃲, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Archives Martial Caillebotte

M.J. de Balanda, Gustave Caillebotte, Lausanne, 1988, illustrated in color p. 141

Marie Berhaut, Gustave Caillebotte, sa vie et son oeuvre: catalogue raisonné des peintures et pastels, Paris, 1978, no. 355, illustrated p. 201

Marie Berhaut, Gustave Caillebotte, Catalogue raisonné des peintures et pastels, Paris, 1994, no. 375, illustrated

Excellent condition. Original canvas. There is some craquelure at the upper-left corner in the sky. Under UV light, there are two minor strokes of old retouching in the sky. There are also two spots of flourescence in the water on the left, but these appear to be the artist's own pentimenti. The pigments are fresh and stable.
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.

Caillebotte's panoramic view of the River Seine reaching a point of divergence at the Ile Saint-Denis ranks among the artist's most spectacular landscapes.  He painted this scene from the hamlet of Epinay, just across the river from Argenteuil and 15 kilometers from Paris.  The view here features the expanse of Gennevilliers to the right of the river's bend, the island at its fork, and Epinay to the left.  Signs of the industrial zone of Saint-Denis are barely visible on the horizon, evidencing the expansion꧙ of Paris and its suburbs into the countryside and foretelling the impend🤡ing transformation of the natural landscape.

The co-existence of the modern and the pastoral was a favorite theme in Impressionist landscape painting, and Caillebotte's depiction here is one of the most skillful.  Using a restrained palette of hushed blues, silvers and greens, he captures the even light that is so distinctive to the Ile de France and organizes the great expanse of the grassland, water and smoky horizon though a patchwork of colors that stretches into the distance.  Because he spent most of his time at his home in Gennevilliers, this was a region that Caillebotte knew well.  Like his Impressionist colleagues Monet and Pissarro, Caillebotte was intimately familiar w🌳ith the various picturesque views around Argenteuil, which provided the sites for some of the most revered Impressionist landscapes.