Alfred Stevens - Oil On Panel 1890 - The Return Of The Ball

Wonderful portrait of an elegant woman circa 1890 by the painter Alfred STEVENS, particularly renowned for his worldly portraits, which can sell for several hundred thousand euros.

This painting is particularly interesting because it is a reinterpretation of the "return from the ball", one of STEVENS' masterpieces painted in 1867 (also called "the woman in yellow" or "back from the ball"), no doubt a special order from a person who particularly appreciated this work, which was acquired by the Musée du Luxembourg then became the property of the Musée d'Orsay and is currently in storage at the Compiègne castle (the last photo in the album depicts the 1867 painting).

The format of our painting is identical, 56 x 46 cms.

Note however that if the position of the young woman removing her bracelet and the overall composition are similar, there are major differences with the painting produced some twenty years earlier : the style first of all, influenced by Impressionism which STEVENS immersed himself in the 1880s, the luminosity then, the room is better lit, the style of the furniture has evolved (green chest of drawers, screen without motifs...), the painter's signature is the one he used in the years 1880-1890 (when he produced his seascapes).

Alfred Stevens regularly reused his compositions (ex. "the silver ball") or the position of characters found in different paintings, he even sometimes made copies of his works as for "Desperate" (1 copy sold at Sotheby's / 1 copy at the Royal Museum of Antwerp).

An "Alfred Stevens" exhibition took place in 1907 in Brussels and Antwerp, if number 2 of the catalog "rentrée du bal" presented by the Luxembourg Museum was indeed the painting of 1867, number 28 named "retour du bal", lent by the Marquise de Clermont-Tonnerre, could be the painting in our possession. However, this is a hypothesis because unfortunately most of the paintings in this exhibition were not illustrated in the 1907 catalogue.

Here you have the unique opportunity to acquire a work by one of the best portrait painters of his period, present in many museums (Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Musée d'Orsay...) and important private collections !

Oil on mahogany panel

56 x 46 cms (with XXth frame in excellent condition, approximately 70 x 60 cms)

Signed lower right "A.STEVENS"
On the reverse a label written by Alfred STEVENS on which appears his handwritten signature (identical to that found on his letters) and his address at the time (15 avenue Frochot, PARIS) where he resided from 1883 to 1893, which makes it possible to date the painting around 1885-1890

Painting in excellent condition, has just been completely cleaned, to specify a touch-up of 2 x 2 millimeters at the very top, in the back wall (not visible) and a network of fine cracks that can only be seen close-up

Photos taken in natural light, at the shade except the first 2 photos of the painting which were taken in sunlight (which brings out the colors)

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