Galerie Borghese, Paris (acquired in 1938-39)
Private Collection, Europe (acquired circa 1940 and sold: Sotheby's, London, June 29, 1999, lot 164)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

The work is in very good condition. The canvas is unlined. The colors are bright and the canvas is fresh. Some pigment shrinkage in the darkest of the green pigments, primarily localized at the upper right near the centers of the center and right edges of the canvas. Very minor frame abrasion around the extreme edges of the work. Under UV: there is one nailhead size area of inpaint above the smaller horse's right hoof which corresponds to a small repair on the back of the canvas. Otherwise, there is a thin layer of uneven varnish. 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.

After scenes of Bohemian funfairs at dance halls painted in a Neo-Impressionist style, Cavalières au bois introduces a shift in Kees van Dongen’s oeuvre through an entirely changed canvas. This painting is not composed by short brushstrokes like some of his earlier works, but with large areas of color surrounded by diluted green contour lines. These wide colored contours resemble areas of shadow or auras which emphasize not only the shape of the figures but the color that fills them.

While this shift is remarkable to van Dongen’s practice, it is not surprising given the wave of painters he exhibited alongside at this time including Henri Matisse. In 1906, Matisse presented his seminal work Le Bonheur de vivre at the Salon des Indépendants alongside van Dongen’s works. While the public was averse to the vibrant colors and spatial distortions of Matisse’s work, van Dongen was inspired by the simplification of style. Like the figures in Matisse’s Le Bonheur de vivre, van Dongen’s cavaliers are two-dime🍸nsional, blurring the boundaries between foreground and background, finding movement through the harmony of color rather than the principles of line. 

While this is a remarkably progressive work for van Dongen, it also reflects on his earlier life in Rotterdam whe♚re he spent his time painting landscapes, sketching horses on the paths near the canals; in a way, van Dongen applies the simple pleasures of his past to his bourgeoisie present and engagement with thꦑe upper-class and high society’s revalorization of leisure.