Galerie Brame & Lorenceau, Paris, n° 2524

Vente New York, Sotheby’s, 16 mai 1984, lot 343

Vente Auxerre, Auxerre enchères, 14 février 2016, lot 119 

Acquis lors de cette dernière par l'actuel propriétaire

Collection Louis Grandchamp des Raux

Brame & Lorenceau, 150 ans avec les Maîtres, Paris, 2014, reproduit p. 110

La Gazette Drouot, n° 6, 12 février 2016, reproduit p. 79

L’authenticité de cette œuvre a été confirmée par Manuel Schmit lors de son dernier passage en vente en 2016.

Standing between the poetic legacy of Jean-Baptiste Corot and the luminous modernity of Claude Monet, Stanislas Lépine appears as one of the precursors of the impressionist landscape.

Between 1858 and 1880, Lépine stayed on many occasions in Caen, his hometown where he painted numerous works: views of the city, the Bassin Saint-Pierre or the Abbaye aux Dames, captured in the daytime or under an “effet de lune”. Our painting is part of a group of marines, where the sailboats glide poetically upon the water, as in the works of Eugène Boudin. It shows a view of the sailboats in the Bassin Saint-Pierre, the maritime heart of this Normandy town.

The deliberately low horizon line, giving way to a sky dotted with clouds, is emphasized by the alignment of the quays and boats moored in the calm waters. Lépine here favours a limited palette of delicate whites, creams, and bluish-greys, subtly conveying the humidity of the air and the clear Normandy light. Only two human figures appear on a boat, rare living witnesses to this silent scene. With their peaceful atmosphere and sense of time standing still, these views of the Caen basin stand out from the industrial scenes painted by the Impressionists, offering a more timeless vision of modernity.