JAMES JOSEPH TISSOT (FRENCH, 1836-1902)

The present picture is an illustration of how the art of the 1860s was increasingly pre-occupied with depictions of mood. There is also an element of problem-solving, which delighted gallery-viewing audiences. Why is the young woman sad? Is she bereaved, or more probably frustrated in love? The pug at her side, offering comfort and solicitude, stands guard against further injury. The season is autumn and the setting is probably in the Bois de Boulogne, near to Tissot’s studio in Avenue l’Imperatrice. The statuary, including a female nude with her face in her hands, contributes to the narrative. We are encouraged to imagine an enclosed park or garden however, as the sitter is dressed in a house-coat for wear at home rather than a promenade. The garment was a studio prop, and can be seen in other works from the period such as Jeunes femmes regardant des objets japonais, and L’escalier both of 1869. After the Siege of Paris in 1870, Tissot left for the more stable environment of London in 1871, there to continue the successful sales he was already establishing in England.

We are grateful to Krystyna Matyjaszkiewicz for her assistance with cataloguing this lot