Ambroise Vollard, Paris
Margaret Thompson-Biddle, Paris (sale: Galerie Charpentier, Paris, 14th June 1957)
Private Collection, Palm Beach (sale: Sotheby's, London, 26th June 2008, lot 426)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Ambroise Vollard, Tableaux, pastels et dessins de Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paris, 1918,vol. 1, no. 553, part illustrated p. 139
Guy-Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Renoir, Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, 1895-1902, Paris, 2007, no. 2159 B, illustrated p. 254

The canvas has been inset into another canvas, which is in turn lined. Inspection under UV light reveals a disparity between the varnish of the inset canvas and the surrounding canvas, and some areas of retouching to the edge of the original canvas, predominantly on the right side. Otherwise this work appears to be in overall fairly 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."

The present work was formerly in the collection assembled by Margaret Thompson-Biddle in the second quarter of the 20th Century. In 1957, Galerie Charpentier in Paris offered a portion of the collection for sale. The catalogue’s introduction was written by renowned French politician André Cornu and he described Mrs Thompson-Biddle as an 'heiress, ambassadress, elegant hostess, and friend to all, a woman of great heart, charm, intelligence and beauty, American by birth, French in spirit.' In Mrs Thompson-Biddle’s ambassadorial home in Paris, an apartment in the former Joseph Pultizer mansion in New York, and Les Embruns, her Riviera villa, visitors were comfortably ensconced in elegant interiors designed by the legendary Stéphane Boudin of Maison Jansen, and the walls hung with paintings by the masters of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century, including Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Paul Gauguin, Claude Monet, Jean Béraud, Eugène Galien-Laloue and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.



This work is accompanied by an Attestation of Inclusion from the Wildenstein Institute, and it will be included in the forthcoming Renoir Digital Catalogue Raisonné, currently being prepared under the sponsorship of the Wildenstein Plattner Institute, Inc.