Le petit-déjeuner à Pont-l'Evêque

Details

Edouard Vuillard (1868-1940)
Le petit-déjeuner à Pont-l'Evêque
oil on board laid down on cradled panel
29 ¼ x 39 7/8 in. (75.5 x 101.2 cm.)
Painted in 1930

Provenance

Jean Laroche, Paris (acquired from the artist).
Jacques Laroche, Paris (by descent from the above).
By descent from the above to the present owners.

Literature

J. Salomon, Vuillard, Paris, 1945, p. 104 (illustrated; titled Chez Jean Laroche, avec Mme Hessel et Romain Coolus).
J. Salomon, Vuillard admiré, Paris, 1961, p. 172 (with incorrect support).
J. Salomon, Vuillard, Paris, 1968, p. 176 (illustrated).
R. Nacenta, School of Paris, The Painters and the Artistic Climate of Paris since 1910, New York, 1981, p. 68 (illustrated, pl. 2; titled Le déjeuner en Normandie and dated 1929).
F. Duret-Robert, "Ventes très prochaines," Connaissance des arts, no. 522, November 1995, p. 103 (illustrated in color, fig. 2; with incorrect support).
A. Salomon and G. Cogeval, Vuillard, Le regard innombrable, Catalogue critique des peintures et pastels, Paris, 2003, vol. III, pp. 1488-1489, no. XII-69 (illustrated in color).

Exhibited

Paris, Galerie Charpentier, Cent chefs d'oeuvres de l'art français, 1750-1950, May-October 1957, no. 111 (illustrated; titled Le déjeuner en Normandie).

Sale Room Notice

Please note that the present lot is sold without a frame.

Brought to you by

Vanessa Fusco

vfusco@christies.com +1 212 636 2094

Lot Essay

The present work depicts a lively breakfast conversation in the home of Jean Laroche. Laroche made his fortune in the manufacture of textiles used in the rubber industry. After World War I his business interests allowed him to move to Paris where he devoted himself to his lifelong passion for art and rare books. His home in Normandy became a gathering spot for artists and collectors alike. Among his frequent visitors was Vuillard, who had illustrated a gourmet cookbook that Laroche had co-authored with Romain Coolus. Seated at the table with Laroche at center is Coolus on his right and Vuillard's close friend Lucy Hessel, the wife of Jos Hessel, on his left. Painted just five years before Laroche's death, it presents an intimate view of the daily life of one of Vuillard's most important patrons.

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