Émile Bernard (1868-1941) - Lot 53

Émile Bernard (1868-1941) Bretonnières feeding pigs (Pl. des Bretonneries). 1889. Zinc print. Sight: 300 x 240. Morane 13. Very fine proof on thin vellum, extensively enhanced with watercolors. Very rare. No visible margins. Frame (not examined outside the frame). Provenance: Michel Romand (1929-2013), great-grandson of Edmond Sagot (1857-1917). Our print features an interesting color variation, different from the print in the S. Josefowitz collection. Josefowitz collection at Christie's sale in October 2023 and the one reproduced in C. Boyle-Turner's catalog, The Prints of the Pont-Aven School, Gauguin and his Circle in Brittany, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, et al., 1986, p. 58. Here, yellow predominates, both in the background and in the pigs, and the colorful striped apron echoes the basket of apples (or potatoes). In this way, the image acquires a decorative dimension inspired by Japanese prints.