Lot 75: JAMES BERTRAND

signed and dated JAMES BERTRAND/1876 (lower right)

oil on canvas

89 by 40 in.<br><br>226 by 101.6 cm.

1823-1887

Paris, Salon, 1876, no. 166

PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF JOHN MORRIN, NEW YORK

Kleinman Galleries, New York
The Haussner Collection, Baltimore; Sale, Sotheby's, New York, November 2, 1999, lot 34A, illustrated
Private Collection, New York

This painting exemplifies Bertrand's mastery of the academic nude. As his talents developed, Bertrand became known for his allegorical pictures and for his portrayals of the great heroines of European history and literature.

The present composition, shown at the 1876 Salon, may have served as the inspiration for William Bouguereau's series of allegorical paintings of the four times of day (1881-84), in each of which the figure's pose is almost identical. See lot 76 for one of Bouguereau's paintings depicting Dawn.