The Bell Tower of Bazincourt
- Date
- 1885
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- depicts
- Bazincourt-sur-Epte, Normandy, France, Europe
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 218
- Dimensions
- 25 5/8 x 21 1/8 in. (65.1 x 53.7 cm)
- Credit Line
- Funds given by Mr. and Mrs. John E. Simon
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 178:1955
NOTES
A luminous sky backlights this scene, silhouetting the village church and casting a pattern of dramatic shadows in the foreground. Camille Pissarro produced 40 views of the picturesque village of Bazincourt, some 50 miles to the northwest of Paris, and close by Eragny where he lived for the last two decades of his life. The artist signed his work in red at bottom left to stand out against the complementary color of the surrounding greens.
Provenance
- 1903
Camille Pissarro (1830-1903), Paris, France
1903 - 1921
Julie Vellay Pissarro (1838-1926), by inheritance from the artist [1]
1921 -
Jeanne Pissarro Bonin (1881-1948), Paris, France, acquired from Julie Vellay Pissarro [2]
- 1954
Henri Stangold [3]
1954 - 1955
Sam Salz (1894–1981), New York, NY, USA, purchased from Henri Stangold [4]
1955 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Sam Salz, Inc. [5]
Notes:
[1] The painting remained in the Pissarro family from the time it was painted in 1885 until at least 1921. In 1904, the artist's wife, Julie Vellay, received this painting as part of her share of her husband's estate, according to a list that was drawn by the artist's son, Lucien Pissarro, that same year. In this list, Lucien Pissarro recorded how the collection was dispersed among the family members. According to French law, 50% of the collection went to the widow, while the other half was equally divided among Pissarro's children [letter from Anne Thorold, Pissarro Family Archive at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, dated September 20, 1981, SLAM document files].
[2] See note [1]. In September 1921, Julie Vellay Pissarro's half share of her husband's estate was further dispersed among the children. A second list, drawn by Lucien Pissarro, indicates which paintings were promised to each child. This painting is recorded as part of the lot given to Jeanne Pissarro, who was married to Alexandre Bonin at the time. According to Colin Harrison, Jeanne Pissarro Bonin possibly retained the painting until her death [email dated Feb. 24, 2005 from Colin Harrison, Pissarro Collections, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, SLAM document files].
[3] Sam Salz purchased the painting from Henri Stangold in 1954, according to information provided by Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, Wildenstein Institute [email dated March 17, 2003, SLAM document files].
[4] Sam Salz left his native Austria in 1919 for Paris, where he soon became a part of the local art dealing community. He worked with renowned art dealer Ambroise Vollard, and also bought directly from artists including Derain, Vlaminck, Vuillard and Bonnard. In 1939 Salz moved to New York, where he continued to sell pictures to an elite clientele [National Gallery of Art, provenance website, www.nga.gov].
[5] The painting was purchased from Sam Salz, Inc. with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. John Simon [invoice from Sam Salz, Inc. dated February 4, 1955; donation of funds agreement signed by John E. Simon dated March 3, 1955, SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, October 7, 1955.
Camille Pissarro (1830-1903), Paris, France
1903 - 1921
Julie Vellay Pissarro (1838-1926), by inheritance from the artist [1]
1921 -
Jeanne Pissarro Bonin (1881-1948), Paris, France, acquired from Julie Vellay Pissarro [2]
- 1954
Henri Stangold [3]
1954 - 1955
Sam Salz (1894–1981), New York, NY, USA, purchased from Henri Stangold [4]
1955 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased from Sam Salz, Inc. [5]
Notes:
[1] The painting remained in the Pissarro family from the time it was painted in 1885 until at least 1921. In 1904, the artist's wife, Julie Vellay, received this painting as part of her share of her husband's estate, according to a list that was drawn by the artist's son, Lucien Pissarro, that same year. In this list, Lucien Pissarro recorded how the collection was dispersed among the family members. According to French law, 50% of the collection went to the widow, while the other half was equally divided among Pissarro's children [letter from Anne Thorold, Pissarro Family Archive at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, dated September 20, 1981, SLAM document files].
[2] See note [1]. In September 1921, Julie Vellay Pissarro's half share of her husband's estate was further dispersed among the children. A second list, drawn by Lucien Pissarro, indicates which paintings were promised to each child. This painting is recorded as part of the lot given to Jeanne Pissarro, who was married to Alexandre Bonin at the time. According to Colin Harrison, Jeanne Pissarro Bonin possibly retained the painting until her death [email dated Feb. 24, 2005 from Colin Harrison, Pissarro Collections, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, SLAM document files].
[3] Sam Salz purchased the painting from Henri Stangold in 1954, according to information provided by Claire Durand-Ruel Snollaerts, Wildenstein Institute [email dated March 17, 2003, SLAM document files].
[4] Sam Salz left his native Austria in 1919 for Paris, where he soon became a part of the local art dealing community. He worked with renowned art dealer Ambroise Vollard, and also bought directly from artists including Derain, Vlaminck, Vuillard and Bonnard. In 1939 Salz moved to New York, where he continued to sell pictures to an elite clientele [National Gallery of Art, provenance website, www.nga.gov].
[5] The painting was purchased from Sam Salz, Inc. with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. John Simon [invoice from Sam Salz, Inc. dated February 4, 1955; donation of funds agreement signed by John E. Simon dated March 3, 1955, SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, October 7, 1955.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.