77 - Henri-Jean Guillaume Martin

Henri-Jean Guillaume Martin (French, 1860-1943) Femme dans une Vigne Tenant une Grappe de Raisin (Étude pour 'les Vendanges') oil on canvas signed Henri Martin (lower left) 24 x 15 in. (61 x 38.1 cm) Property from the Estate of Joan Wellhouse Newton Stein, Jacksonville, Florida This lot is located in Philadelphia. Framed: 31 x 22 x 3 in. The unlined canvas is in overall very good condition. There are a few small lines of craquelure in the more thickly painted areas. Under UV light, there does not appear to be evidence of restoration. On verso, a plexiglas backing board has been applied. Additional images available upon request. We wish to thank Mme Marie-Anne Destrebecq-Martin for confirming the authenticity of the work, which will be added in the forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of the artist's work. Provenance: Richard Green Gallery, London. Acquired directly from the above in 2000. Lot Note: The present work is one of the most fully realized studies for Henri Martin’s monumental decorative ensemblecommissioned for the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Béziers in 1932. Conceived for the institution’s Salle des Délibérations, the ensemble comprised six canvases: two large horizontal compositions,IdylleandBucolique, each flanked by two narrower vertical panels depicting the principal stages of the wine-growing cycle. Even at a smaller scale, the present painting conveys the warmth, serenity, and poetry that characterize Henri Martin’s larger decorative cycle, evoking an idyllic vision of rural life. Depicting a woman standing in the vineyard and holding a bunch of grapes, the work captures the tranquil atmosphere of late summer on the threshold of autumn. Martin’s delicate pointillist technique, with its myriad touches of color, lends the composition a soft, shimmering quality, while a warm palette of golden yellows, russet tones, and sunlit greens evokes the gentle declining light of the season. The scene emerges as a vision of a preserved rural Eden, reflecting the artist’s profound affinity for the landscapes and agricultural traditions of his beloved South of France.