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Premium Maître Denis HERBETTE

66 - MUENIER, Jules Alexis. (1863–1942).
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Estimate €9,000 - €11,000
Sale commission
Description
MUENIER, Jules Alexis. (1863–1942). ‘The Child with the Fly’. Oil on canvas, signed lower left. Stamp on the reverse: Blanchet, 38 Rue Bonaparte, Paris, H.65 L.54. Provenance: Dollfus Collection, Mulhouse; the work is mentioned in the documentation on the artist as having entered this collection. Château de Vieux Maison, Ligny-le-Ribault (Loiret). Private French collection. History of the work: Painted in the early 20th century, *The Child with the Fly* belongs to the period of Jules Alexis Muenier’s full artistic maturity, when the artist was establishing himself as one of the leading figures of French naturalism. The composition is documented as early as 1909. It was notably reproduced that same year in *L’Illustration*, under the title *L’enfant à la mouche*, attesting to the work’s contemporary circulation. An old postcard entitled ‘The Child with the Fly Salon 1909’. The title also appears in the art and literary press of 1909: *Les Annales Politiques et Littéraires* mentions *L’enfant à la mouche*, by J-A-Muenier. This contemporary documentation is particularly significant as it enables the composition to be placed within the very context of its creation and public display, rather than being identified retrospectively on the basis of a mere attribution. A work identified in the Dollfus collection. The early provenance is one of the most remarkable aspects of the work. The biographical documentation on Muenier expressly states that *L’enfant à la mouche* was sold to the Dollfus collection in Mulhouse (a prominent Alsatian collector). This reference is repeated in several sources devoted to the artist. The Dollfus collection thus constitutes a particularly interesting early provenance for this painting and complements the contemporary documentation from 1909. Blanchet, 38 Rue Bonaparte, Paris. The preservation of this mark constitutes a significant material element in the history of the work. After its time in the Dollfus collection, the work appears in a traceable provenance at the Château de Vieux Maison, in the Loiret. The work subsequently entered a private French collection, where it has remained ever since.
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About the sale WORKS OF ART AND FINE FURNISHINGS, sculptures, ANTIQUE, 19TH-CENTURY AND MODERN PAINTINGS
Auction location
Auction time 11/08/2026 at 10:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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