Estate of the artist
Georges Bernheim, Zurich (acquired from the above after 1919)
Private Collection, Paris (and sold: Sotheby's, New York, November 17, 1998, lot 271)
Acquired at the above sale

Bernheim-Jeune, ed., L'Atelier de Renoir, vol. II, Paris, 1931, no. 477, illustrated pl. 152
Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Renoir, Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, 1911-1919, vol. V, Paris, 2014, no. 3662, illustrated p. 43

The canvas is unlined. The impasto is strong and lively. When examined under UV light, there is no evidence of any restoration or retouching to the canvas. The painting would benefit from a gentle clean. The work is in overall excellent original 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.

Bursting with exuberance and vitality, Roses dans un vase exemplifies Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s intuitive understanding and expert handling of light, color and movement. The present work, painted circa 1913, is an exquisite example of the artist’s still life paintings, a subject that he returned to throughout his career for the technical freedom and experimentation that it afforded. As was noted at the time of a retrospective exhibition in 1988: “For an artist enamoured with color, flowers provide a perfect subject—infinitely varied, malleable to any arrangement. Several of Renoir's most beautiful paintings are flower pieces. Renoir painted many pictures of flowers in addition to the more numerous figures and landscapes. Flowers appear frequently in his paintings as hat decorations or as part of the landscape behind figures even when they are not the main motif. Renoir himself said that when painting flowers he was able to paint more freely and boldly, without the mental effort he made with a model before him” (Renoir Retrospective (exhibition catalogue), Nagoya, Nagoya City Art Museum, 1988, p. 247).

The exuberant brushwork and warm palette, so skillfully deployed, perfectly describes the blooming flowers’ delicacy with a sense of spontaneity. Renoir once spoke of how he strove for an improvisatory effect in paintings of this kind: "It mustn’t reek of the model—and yet one should be able to get the feel of nature in it" (quoted in François Fosca, Renoir: His Life and Work, London, 1961, p. 263). Glowing with jewel-like colors, Roses dans un vase depicts one of Renoir’s favored subject matter; he was drawn to flowers time and again๊ during his celebrated artistic career. This lush and vibrant painting is a particularly charming example of Renoir’s mature paintings, which masterfully conveys the beauty of nature.