House in Provence (Maison Provençale)
Provenance
Possibly Bernheim-Jeune family, Paris. Jos Hessel (1859–1942), Paris. [Galerie Rosengart, Lucerne]. Hans Purrmann (1880–1966), Florence, by 1919. [Galerie Thannhauser, Berlin and Lucerne, by 1927]; [Justin K. Thannhauser (1892–1976), New York]; Henry Pearlman, by 1954; Henry and Rose Pearlman Foundation, 1978.
Conservator's Note
Numerous tack holes in the corners and near the center side edges suggest that Cézanne worked on this watercolor during more than one session. Although much of the graphite is an underdrawing beneath the watercolor, some of the graphite pencil marks around the outline of the trees and house roof cross over watercolor strokes, indicating that Cézanne reworked the watercolor with graphite, reinforcing those contours.
Critical Perspective
One of Cézanne’s many variations on the motif of a solitary house in a Provençal landscape. Washes of watercolor and graphite markings share multiple tasks: denoting lines, establishing volume, and suggesting areas of shadow or airy space.