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Lot Essay
Estella Katzenellenbogen (1886-1991) was a keen art collector and patron in pre-war Berlin. She shared an impressive collection with her then-husband, Ludwig, which included major French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists. Divorced in 1928, Estella retained many outstanding artworks, including Manet’s Bob. With the rise of anti-Semitic measures from 1933 onwards, Estella emigrated first to Switzerland in 1938 and then to the United States in 1940, where she eventually settled in the intellectual and artistic émigré community in Los Angeles. From circa 1942, she worked with Karl Nierendorf running his International Art gallery in Hollywood, which she took over in late 1945.
This depiction of a small terrier named Bob was commissioned by one of Edouard Manet’s most important supporters and patrons, the opera singer, Jean-Baptiste Faure. Faure had made his debut at the Paris Opéra in 1861. Over the course of his life, he was widely renowned, performing in numerous roles. Just as prolific as his performances was his desire to collect modern art. He had initially acquired a large collection of Barbizon school works, which he dispersed in the early 1870s when he discovered the work of Manet and the Impressionists. From this time onwards, Faure became the most important collector of Manet’s work—at one point he owned sixty-seven pieces by the artist, including Le déjeuner sur l’herbe and Le Bon Bock (Wildenstein, nos. 67 and 186). He also posed for the artist on a few occasions, including Portrait de Faure dans le rôle d’Hamlet (no. 257).
Over the course of his career, Manet occasionally painted pictures of his friends’ and acquaintances’ pets. This motif had a long art historical heritage, following on from the French eighteenth-century tradition of painting royal hunting dogs, as well as the court painting of one of Manet’s great influences, Diego Velázquez. A total of eight works of this kind are recorded in the catalogue raisonné of the artist (nos. 232-235, 253-255 and 293). Like the current work, many of these depictions of these distinctively characterized animals provide compelling glimpses into the social world of Manet throughout his career. One, La chienne “Follette” (no. 235), painted in 1875, is said to have been owned by the secretary of Antonin Proust. Another, Chien “King Charles” (no. 233) was given to Maurice Leclanché, part of an engineering family, and an important collector and friend of many of the Impressionists, including Manet. Le chien “Minnay” (no. 293), depicts the dog of Marguerite Gauthier-Lathuille, and was given to her as a gift by the artist. Manet had also painted her portrait the same year. Marguerite was the daughter of Père Lathuille, the owner of the eponymous restaurant popular with Manet and other artists in his circle—indeed, Manet had painted a scene at this institution in 1879. Le chien “Donki” (no. 254), in the present collection, was formerly owned by a friend of the Impressionists, the engraver and print maker, Michel Manzi.
Rendered on a small and intimate scale, in Tête du chien "Bob" Manet has distilled some of the defining characteristics of Bob, his tousled, caramel-color coat rendered with a flurry of loose, vigorous brushwork. As with a number of these playful canine portraits, Manet inscribed the dog’s name on the canvas itself. This work was recently included in the exhibition on the artist, Manet and Modern Beauty, held at The Art Institute of Chicago and The J. Paul Getty Museum.
A second portrait of a dog by Manet, Le chien "Donki," which was also owned by Ann and Gordon Getty, is being offered in the Old Masters, 19th and 20th Century Paintings Day Sale on October 21st.
This depiction of a small terrier named Bob was commissioned by one of Edouard Manet’s most important supporters and patrons, the opera singer, Jean-Baptiste Faure. Faure had made his debut at the Paris Opéra in 1861. Over the course of his life, he was widely renowned, performing in numerous roles. Just as prolific as his performances was his desire to collect modern art. He had initially acquired a large collection of Barbizon school works, which he dispersed in the early 1870s when he discovered the work of Manet and the Impressionists. From this time onwards, Faure became the most important collector of Manet’s work—at one point he owned sixty-seven pieces by the artist, including Le déjeuner sur l’herbe and Le Bon Bock (Wildenstein, nos. 67 and 186). He also posed for the artist on a few occasions, including Portrait de Faure dans le rôle d’Hamlet (no. 257).
Over the course of his career, Manet occasionally painted pictures of his friends’ and acquaintances’ pets. This motif had a long art historical heritage, following on from the French eighteenth-century tradition of painting royal hunting dogs, as well as the court painting of one of Manet’s great influences, Diego Velázquez. A total of eight works of this kind are recorded in the catalogue raisonné of the artist (nos. 232-235, 253-255 and 293). Like the current work, many of these depictions of these distinctively characterized animals provide compelling glimpses into the social world of Manet throughout his career. One, La chienne “Follette” (no. 235), painted in 1875, is said to have been owned by the secretary of Antonin Proust. Another, Chien “King Charles” (no. 233) was given to Maurice Leclanché, part of an engineering family, and an important collector and friend of many of the Impressionists, including Manet. Le chien “Minnay” (no. 293), depicts the dog of Marguerite Gauthier-Lathuille, and was given to her as a gift by the artist. Manet had also painted her portrait the same year. Marguerite was the daughter of Père Lathuille, the owner of the eponymous restaurant popular with Manet and other artists in his circle—indeed, Manet had painted a scene at this institution in 1879. Le chien “Donki” (no. 254), in the present collection, was formerly owned by a friend of the Impressionists, the engraver and print maker, Michel Manzi.
Rendered on a small and intimate scale, in Tête du chien "Bob" Manet has distilled some of the defining characteristics of Bob, his tousled, caramel-color coat rendered with a flurry of loose, vigorous brushwork. As with a number of these playful canine portraits, Manet inscribed the dog’s name on the canvas itself. This work was recently included in the exhibition on the artist, Manet and Modern Beauty, held at The Art Institute of Chicago and The J. Paul Getty Museum.
A second portrait of a dog by Manet, Le chien "Donki," which was also owned by Ann and Gordon Getty, is being offered in the Old Masters, 19th and 20th Century Paintings Day Sale on October 21st.