PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR (1841-1919)
Enfant endormi
bears signature (lower left)
pastel on paper
13 9/16 x 16 5/8 in (34.4 x 42.2 cm)
Executed in 1886
Footnotes:
This work will be included in the forthcoming Pierre-Auguste Renoir Digital Catalogue Raisonné, currently being prepared under the sponsorship of the Wildenstein Plattner Institute, Inc.

Provenance
The artist's estate.
Phillippe Cézanne Collection, Paris (acquired from the above by 1982).
Hammer Galleries, New York.
Hall Galleries Inc., Dallas, by 1987.
Michelman Fine Art Inc., New York.
Acquired from the above by the present owner in June 1991.

Exhibited
Paris, Galerie Durand-Ruel et Cie., Aquarelles, pastels et dessins par Renoir (1841-1919), April 4–23, 1921, no. 38.

Literature
F. Fosca, 'Les Dessins de Renoir,' in Art et décoration, vol. XL, no. 238, October 1921, p. 101 (illustrated).
G-P. & M. Dauberville, Renoir, Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles, vol. III, 1895-1902, Paris, 2010, no. 2489 (illustrated p. 459; titled 'Tête d'enfant endormi' and dated 1896).


The pastel drawing Enfant endormi, is a vibrant example of the Pierre-Auguste Renoir's portraits of rosy-cheeked children. Throughout the 1890s, the artist balanced his numerous commissioned portraits with paintings and drawings of anonymous sitters, through which he perfected his portrayal of youth. Renoir returned to the themes of childhood and motherhood often in his career, sometimes using his own children as models.

The subject for this work is unknown but retains the typical cherubic appearance of Renoir's subjects. The drawing depicts a sleeping infant with finely rendered features and a halo of golden curls; the artist used vibrant, contrasting colors to frame the child's face. Renoir chose to render the subject while asleep, which is emblematic of his desire to create portraits that were more natural than posed. Colin Bailey noted, 'When [Renoir] paints a portrait, he asks his model to behave normally, to sit as she usually sits, to dress as she usually dresses, so that nothing smacks of constraint or artificial preparation' (quoted in Renoir's Portraits, London, 1987, p. 20).

The sheet is hinged at two points along the upper edge, verso. An artist pinhole to the upper right corner. The right edge is deckled. The sheet is time stained. There is a horizontal, slivered cut (measuring 4 in) along the extreme lower right edge which is not visible within the window mat. There are light, scattered spots of foxing throughout the sheet. Subject to the foregoing, it is in our opinion that the work appears to in excellent condition.