Otto Scholderer, Paris
Gustave Tempelaere, Paris
Boussod, Valadon & Cie, Paris
Jules Allard, Paris
Sale: Sotheby's, London, 15th February 1950, lot 152
Ockham (purchased at the above sale)
George N. Richard
Scott & Fowles, New York
Sale: Christie's, London, 6th April 1976, lot 7
Sale: Christie's, New York, 21st October 1980, lot 207
M. Knoedler & Co, New York
Richard Green Gallery, London
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1980

New York, Acquavella Galleries, Henri Fantin-Latour, 1966, no. 14, illustrated in colour in the catalogue 

Mme Fantin-Latour, Catalogue de l'œuvre complet de Fantin-Latour, Paris, 1911, no. 333

The canvas is lined and the edges are reinforced with tape. Examination under UV reveals a thick varnish which is difficult to penetrate, but there is some re-touching visible to the extreme edges due to frame abrasion and some spots of retouching to the red pigments within the bouquet. There is some loss to the pigment at the extreme edges consistent with frame abrasion and a spot of pigment loss to the petal at the upper right of the bouquet. This work is in good overall condition and could benefit from a light clean.
"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."

In its style and subject, Fleurs de printemps exemplifies the key themes upon which Henri Fantin-Latour built his career.  It was during the 1860s that Fantin-Latour turned away from portraiture in favour of still life. This shift in genre allowed Fantin-Latour new scope for experimentation with colour, texture, form and composition.  It was on the basis of these flower pieces, and with the patronage of English collectors Edwin and Ruth Edwards, that Fantin-Latour achieved contemporary acclaim.  The financial support afforded by Fantin-Latour’s great popularity offered the artist the freedom to dedicate himself to the academic exploration of his craft.  The present work demonstrates Fantin-Latour’s technical ambition and the liberty of focus afforded by professional security.  Though understated in its palette, Fleurs de printemps is luminous with streaks of unadulterated white and pure yellow tones.  Fantin-Latour conjures leaves and petals with individual considered brush strokes and renders the surface of the canvas textured with softly layered impasto. Reviewing Fantin-Latour’s work presented at the Salon of 1889, Émile Zola celebrated the subtlety of Fantin-Latour’s œuvre: ‘The canvases of M. Fantin-Latour do not assault your eyes; they do not leap at you from the walls. They must be looked at for a length of time in order to penetrate them and their conscientiousness, their simple truth—you take these in entirely, and then you return’ (quoted in Edward Lucie-Smith, Henri Fantin-Latour, New York, 1977, p. 37).

Yet, in these still life paintings, Fantin-Latour did not deviate from his goal of naturalism and retained the meticulous detail acquired during his early years as a portrait painter.  As Edward Lucie-Smith observed, ‘[H]e looked at flowers, as he did at faces, with no preconceptions. His belief, academic in origin, that technique in painting was separable from the subject to which the artist applied it, enabled him to see the blooms he painted not as botanical specimens, but as things which, though not necessarily significant in themselves, would generate significant art upon the canvas’ (Edward Lucie-Smith, Henri Fantin-Latour, New York, 1977, pp. 22-23).