Stanislas Lépine (1835 - 1892) The Seine at the... Lot 5

Stanislas Lépine (1835 - 1892) The Seine at the Boom, 1880-85 Oil on canvas Signed lower right: S. Lépine 40 x 56 cm Estimate : 20 000 / 30 000 € PROVENANCE Galerie Durand-Ruel, Paris Sale: Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 30th March 1904, lot 33. Cabruja Collection, Paris Malingue Collection, Paris Galerie Schmit, Paris Private collection EXHIBITIONS Paris, Galerie Durand-Ruel, Stanislas Lépine, 1892, no. 102 Paris, Rosenberg Gallery, Lépine, 1906, no. 33 BIBLIOGRAPHY R. M. Schmit, Stanislas Lépine, Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint, Paris, 1993, no. 42, reproduced on p. 18 Stanislas Lépine is one of those painters who have an unconditional love for the city of Paris. Often associated with the Montmartre district, where he had his studio, it is nevertheless the Seine that he seems to have chosen as his favourite model. Represented from Auteuil in the west to the Quai de la Rapée in the east, the Parisian river appears under his brush in a large proportion of his works. The view represented here by the artist is that of the estacade footbridge seen from the present Quai Saint-Bernard, a structure demolished in 1932 which stood at the tip of the Ile St Louis and which overlooked the high dome of the Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis church. This view, also interpreted by some of the artist's inspirers, such as J. B. Jonkind in 1853, was represented no less than twelve times by Lépine, who made it one of the recurring subjects of his late career. Today, some of these works can be admired in prestigious European and American public collections such as the C. Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon and the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California. This panorama is particularly representative of the style of this self-taught artist, whom his contemporaries have often compared to Corot. In this work, the dialogue between the river and the sky is the main focus, and the few figures in the scene are anecdotal. Remarkable for its tonalities, this painting testifies to the impetus that Lépine wanted to give to modern painting to bring it towards a clearer palette, a palette which, in the words of John Couper, seduces by "its tones of clouds and pearls". Note : 1 J. Couper, Stanislas Lépine, 1835-1892, Sa vie, son œuvre, Léonce Laget, Paris, 1969 Expert : Cabinet Brame et Lorenceau This lot has been entrusted to us by an extra-community seller and presented as a temporary import. The successful bidder will have to pay the VAT applicable at the rate in force in addition to the bidding in the country of final importation.