Breton Brother and Sister

Breton Brother and Sister

Breton Brother and Sister

Artist:
William Bouguereau (French, La Rochelle 1825–1905 La Rochelle)
Date:
1871
Medium:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
50 7/8 x 35 1/8 in. (129.2 x 89.2 cm)
Classification:
Paintings
Credit Line:
Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Bequest of Catharine Lorillard Wolfe, 1887

Based on sketches Bouguereau made while summering in Brittany in the late 1860s, this picture was completed in the artist’s studio in 1871. His young models, posed in traditional Breton costumes, epitomize pastoral sibling affection. This type of scene was quickly snapped up by American collectors, earning Bouguereau fame and fortune. As one critic explained, "Whoever gets a picture by [him] gets the full worth of his money, in finished painting, first-rate drawing, and a subject and treatment that no well-bred person can … fault."

Provenance

[Goupil, Paris, 1871; stock no. 5724; purchased on September 12, as "Frère et soeur (Bretons)," for Fr 8,000; sold on October 23, for Fr 18,000, to Knoedler]; [M. Knoedler, New York, 1871; sold on November 21, for $6,000, to Wolfe]; John David Wolfe, New York (1871–d. 1872); his daughter, Catharine Lorillard Wolfe, New York (1872–d. 1887)

Copyright Image
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