Paul Bérard, Paris (the sitter's father, acquired directly from the artist)
André Bérard, Paris (the sitter, by descent from the above)
By descent from the above to the present owner

Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, Renoir, 1900, no. 3

Maurice Bernard, Renoir à Wargemont, Paris, 1938, illustrated pl. 8
François Daulte, Auguste Renoir, Catalogue raisonné de l’œuvre peint, Les Figures, 1860-1890, Lausanne, 1971, vol. I, no. 285, illustrated n.p.
Auguste Renoir & Elda Fezzi, L'Opera completa di Renoir nel periodo impressionista, 1869-1883, Milan, 1972, no. 342, illustrated p. 104
Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Renoir, Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, 1858 - 1881, Paris, 2007, vol. I, no. 566, illustrated p. 546

The canvas is not lined. UV examination reveals spots of retouching intermittently along the upper edge and in places along the lower, left and right edges. There are fine lines of in-fills predominantly to the background and a few small spots of retouching to the sitter's forehead and proper right cheek. There are fine lines of entirely stable craquelure throughout. The colours are bright and fresh and 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."

This charming and delicately painted portrait depicts a young André Bérard, the son of one of Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s most significant patrons, Paul Bérard. Renoir and Paul Bérard (1830-1905), a diplomat and company director who came from a family of Protestant bankers, probably met in the celebrated salon of Madame Charpentier in 1878 and rapidly established a close friendship. Charles Deudon, heir to a mining fortune who also frequented the Charpentier salon, persuaded Madame Bérard to have Renoir paint a full length portrait of her daughter, Marthe (Portrait de Marthe Bérard now in the Museu de Arte de São Paulo) and this led to a sequence of portraits of Paul Bérard and his wife, Marguerite, their four children - André, Lucie, Marthe and Marguerite - as well as a nephew and niece, Alfred and Thérèse. Among the Bérard family portraits were some of Renoir's most celebrated studies of children, including the study of all four children, Les Enfants of 1881 in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts and L'aprés-midi des enfants à Wargemont of 1884 in the Nationalgalerie, Berlin. In addition, another portrait of Madame Bérard resides prestigiously in the collection of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.

The relationship between patron and artist was unusually harmonious. The Bérard family accepted Renoir as a valued friend, and invited the artist to spend several summers at the family’s country residence near Dieppe, Château de Wargemont. During his visits, Renoir painted a series of game panels and flower pieces as decorations for the Château, alongside the group of empathetic family portraits. Portrait d'André Bérard enfant was painted in 1879, shortly after Renoir’s first meeting with the family. It has remained with descendants of the Bérard family until the present day, standing as a fascinating record of a highly significant friendship within Renoir’s life🐻.