Louis Carré, Paris (acquired directly from the artist)
Galerie Louis Carré, Paris (sale: Ader Picard Tajan, Palais d'Orsay, Paris, 27th April 1978, lot 29C)
Private Collection, France (sale: Sotheby's, London, 28th November 1989, lot 58)
Private Collection (purchased at the above sale)
Acquired by the present owner in 1993

'Couleur de Bonnard', in Verve, Paris, vol. V, nos. 17-18, 1947, illustrated
Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard. Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint 1940-1947 et Supplément 1887-1939, Paris, 1974, vol. IV, no. 1691, illustrated p. 109

The canvas is lined. UV examination reveals no evidence of retouching. There is some slight surface irregularity to the canvas, predominantly towards the upper left corner. There are a few pin holes to each of the four corners and in places to the centre of the upper and lower edges. There has been some rubbing to the lower part of the figure's dress. There are a few fine lines of craquelure in places to the extreme lower edge and to the lower left corner. Otherwise this work is in overall 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Painted in 1946, the present work is part of a group of six panels entitled La Cueillette des Fruits commissioned from the artist by Louis Carré to decorate the dining room of his Parisian apartment. Taking fruit picking as his theme, Bonnard uses bold swathes of colour to encapsulate the dazzling light of his Mediterranean surroundings in six almost-circular vignettes where individual elements and tones blend into a harmonious and daringly abstract, unified vision. The luscious canopy of bright green foliage which frames the present work provides a perfect foil for the mosaic of complimentary yellows and blues and oranges and purples below, out of which the arm of a flaxen-haired young girl reaches up to pluck a sun-ripened cherry from the low-lying branches.

Discussing this group of works in relation to Bonnard's earlier decorative panels of 1910, Joachim Kaak commented: 'Nearly forty years later, Bonnard was commissioned to paint a series of six decorative panels entitled La Cueillette des fruits.  The difference between the two decorative series is striking.  In common with the early works, the harvest is once again the chosen theme, its imagery drawn from ancient iconographic traditions; the main narrative thread, however, the return to the past, is done away with in favour of a vignette of rustic prosperity.  But it is not just the fecundity of the earth which is a subject of portrayal: as in comparable pictures by Emile Bernard and Maurice Denis the harvest becomes a ritual symbol, an expression of unity with nature.' (Joachim Kaak, Bonnard, das Glück zu Malen, Dusseldorf, 1993,ℱ p. 100, translated🌳 from the German).