Galerie Daniel Malingue, Paris
Acquired from the above in 1983

This work is in excellent condition. Canvas is not lined. The edges are reinforced with tape. There is a layer of varnish on the surface and some very minor buckling at upper and lower left corners. Under UV light there is one tiny pindot retouch at extreme lower left corner otherwise fine.
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.

Created with careful attention to light and shadow, Roses dans un vase de Sèvres exhibits the artist's ability to replicate the pure luxuriance of a floral arrangement. As was the case for many of the Impressionist painters, Renoir did not need to rely on the trompe l'oeil techniques that had been utilized by artists for centuries in order to render this bouquet so convincingly. Instead, he drew upon his own creative ingenuity and his initial impressions of the image, rendering it with extraordinary freshness. Few artists of his generation would approach this subject with the richness and sensitivity that is demonstrated in his floral pictures. Renoir once said of his flower pictures, "What seems to me most significant about our movement [Impressionism] is that we have freed painting from the importance of the subject. I am at liberty to paint flowers and call them flowers, without their needing to tell a story" (quoted in Peter Mitchell, European Flower Painters, London, 1973, pp. 211-12).

It is not surprising that a floral still-life, especially one as lush and abundant as this, would have appealed to Renoir. Both he and Monet painted several more during the early years when the Impressionists first exhibited their work. Perhaps it was his early success that encouraged Renoir to continue t𓆏o paint stil🌄l-lifes of flowers throughout his celebrated career.