1841-1895 | French

Jeune fille au chien

(Young girl with dog)

Stamped with signature "Berthe Morisot" (lower left)

Oil on canvas

A pioneering figure of Impressionism, Berthe Morisot stands out not only as a leader of this revolutionary movement but also as one of the most groundbreaking women artists in history. This extraordinarily rare masterpiece, Jeune fille au chien, is among her largest and most beautiful works available today.

Glowing with a luminous palette and an ethereal softness, Jeune fille au chien was painted in one of the most important years of Morisot’s life. In the spring of 1892, Morisot achieved a monumental milestone with her first solo retrospective at Paris's prestigious Boussod, Valadon et Cie gallery—a first for a woman Impressionist. Just one month before the exhibition opened, her husband of nearly two decades, Eugène Manet, died. Grief-stricken, Morisot entered the most innovative year of her career, seeking solace in her art and reinventing herself as an artist.

Set in Morisot's garden at 40 Rue de Villejust, this captivating composition centers the stunning Jeanne Fourmanoir, the famous model who posed for both Morisot and Renoir during this period. Fourmanoir's distinctive cap and hair harmonize with the lush foliage, exemplifying the stylistic dialogue between Morisot and Renoir. This work reveals Morisot's evolution toward her softer, richer textures compared to her earlier energetic brushwork, creating a hazy, dreamlike quality that mirrors the emotional world of the artist in the final years of her life.

Fourmanoir was one of Morisot’s favorite subjects, frequently appearing in Morisot's iconic masterpieces, most notably as a cherry picker in Le Cerisier of 1891, now at the Musée Marmottan Monet. Our painting depicting this famed model also has distinguished provenance, once belonging to the major American collectors Ralph Coe of Cleveland and Harry and Doris Rubin of New York. Its remarkable exhibition history includes the important 1896 Durand-Ruel exhibition, organized shortly after Morisot's death by her distinguished peers: Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Stephane Mallarmé. An incredible tribute to one of Impressionism's most visionary talents, this show was a grand event in the Parisian art scene.

Painted 1892