Galerie Tanner, Zurich
Pierre Dubied, Neuchâtel (acquired from the above on August 29, 1947)
Private Collection, United States
Sale: Christie's, New York, November 8, 1995, lot 120
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Basel, Kunsthalle, Renoir, 1943, no. 117
Neuchâtel, Musée des Beaux-Arts, La Peintre française de 1800 à nos jours, 1943, n.n. (titled Petite baigneuse)

Canvas is unlined. There is some lively impasto to the white pigments of the composition. There is minor frame abrasion along the left edge of the canvas. When examined under UV light there is no evidence of any restoration or repainting. The varnish is slightly yellowing and the work would benefit from a light clean. The painting is in very 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.
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.

In the later years of his life, Renoir devoted himself to recreating an idyllic world largely undisturbed by references to modernity. The female nude had figured prominently in his work from his earliest years, and it proved to be a subject for which his attention never waned. In treatment, it had ranged from the high Impressionism of the Torse de femme au soleil of 1876 to the icy classical perfection of the Grandes baigneuses of 1887. By 1895, the nude became his most important theme, one that enabled him to unite responsiveness to the physical presence of his models, with his awareness of historical continuity.

Femme nue à sa toilette is a superb example of Renoir's mature style, underscoring his ability to capture the feminine form with fluid, loose brushwork. His unusual painting technique builds up a shimmering paint surface that gives his late nudes their distinctive quality. This style allowed Renoir to showcase an astonishing mastery of a broad range of painterly effects. John House has noted that he was able to "combine breadth with extreme delicacy of effect. [...] At times he painted very thinly and with much medium over a white priming, particularly in his backgrounds, allowing the tone and texture of the canvas to show through, and creating effects almost like watercolour. His figures tend to be more thickly painted, but not with single layers of opaque colour; instead fine streaks of varied hue are built up, which create a varied, almost vibrating surface" (John House in Renoir (exhibition catalogue), Hayward Gallery, London; Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Paris & Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1985-86, p. 278).