Updated 01 November 2024
Currently not on display
Currently not on display
Old Woman of Brittany
| Materials and Techniques | oil on cardboard |
|---|---|
| Size（cm） | 60 x 50 |
| Inscriptions | Signed lower left: Ch. Cottet |
| Credit Line | Matsukata Collection |
| Standard ref. | M316 |
| Category | Paintings |
| Collection Number | P.1959-0055 |
On the peninsula of Brittany, situated in the northwest of France, a unique culture tracing back to the Celts can be found subsisting on farming and fishing. In the latter half of the 19th century, a number of artists, including Gauguin, were drawn to the scenery and customs of Brittany, and portrayed these in their works. Using dark colors and forceful brush strokes, Cottet depicted the lives of the poor in a harsh natural environment. (Source: The Digital Gallery. 1999-2006)
Provenance
Galerie J. Allard, Paris, stock no. 6835; purchased from the above by Kojiro Matsukata, Kobe, 1921, as “Vieille femme de l'île de Sein” [see letter from Galerie J. Allard to Léonce Bénédite, dated 15 November 1921, in the Bibliothèque centrale des musées nationaux, Paris (copy in NMWA curatorial file)]; sequestered by French government, 1944; vested in French government under San Francisco Peace Treaty, 1952; transferred from French to Japanese government, 23 January 1959; entered into NMWA, April 1959.
Exhibition History
- 1924
- XIVª Esposizione internazionale d'arte della città di Venezia, 0 1924 - 0 1924, cat. p. 185, no. 117 (with the title "Vecchia donna, Isola di Sein")
- 2023
- 国立西洋美術館, The National Museum of Western Art, 18 March 2023 - 11 June 2023, cat. no. 94
Bibliography
- 1924
- XIVª Esposizione internazionale d'arte della città di Venezia, 1924: Catalogo, 2nd ed., [Venezia, 1924], p. 183, cat. no. 117(with the title "Vecchia donna, Isola di Sein")
- 1961
- Catalogue du Musée National d'Art Occidental, Tokyo. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1961 (Préface and Catalogue Général in Japanese and French), P-72.
- 1979
- The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo: Catalogue of Paintings. Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, 1979, no. 67, repr.
- 1990
- The Old Matsukata Collection. Kobe City Museum, ed. Kobe, "Matsukata Korekushon Ten" Jikkoiinkai, 1990, cat. no. 469.
- 1992
- The French Modern Art, from The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo (exh. cat.). The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, ed. Okinawa, Urasoe Art Museum, 1992, p.35, cat. no. 25, col. repr
- 2018
- The Matsukata Collection: Complete Catalogue of the European Art. Kawaguchi, Masako; Jingaoka, Megumi, eds. vol. 1: Paintings, Tokyo, The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, 2018, cat. no. 316, col. repr.
- 2023
- La Bretagne source d'inspiration: regards de peintres français et japonais (exh. cat.). Hakamata, Hiroyo, ed. Tokyo, Tokyo Broadcasting System Television, 2023, pp. 126, 211, cat. no. 94, col. repr.