by Claire Papon
In the 1860s, it took an overnight train journey to travel from Paris to Saint-Brieuc in Brittany and another five hours by bus to reach Saint-Quay-Portrieux. In 1868, Eugène Boudin was the first to plant his easel on the beach. Paul Signac arrived 20 years later, followed by Édouard Manet ’s muse, Berthe Morisot, who in the summer of 1894 rented a large stone house there, La Roche-Plate. She painted portraits of young Breton women, their faces framed by their coifs, and the garden of her house on Portrieux Cliff. Our work is from this small series with a high-spirited Impressionistic touch. It belonged to Julie Manet, Morisot and Manet’s only daughter. Exhibited at the Durand-Ruel and Bernheim-Jeune galleries in 1896 and 1929, the Musée de l’Orangerie in 1941 and the Jacquemart-André Museum in 1961, it is estimated €80,000/100,000. Click here to read more
