Lilla Cabot Perry

Provenance:
Private Collection, New Jersey.

Lot Essay:
Born in Boston in 1848, Lilla Cabot Perry showed an artistic propensity in her early years and went on to become a leading figure of the Boston art scene, particularly as a founding member of the Guild of Boston Artists, and as a practitioner and promoter of French Impressionism. It was during a trip to France in the mid-1880s that Perry became acquainted with Giverny, where she befriended Claude Monet. She was in fact the first American woman to live and work in Giverny, and one of the few American artists to develop a meaningful personal relationship with the influential painter, who imparted invaluable insights and wisdom to her. Perry also lived in Japan at the turn of the century and returned to Giverny time and time again throughout her life. She died in New Hampshire in 1933.

Even as she embraced the Impressionist method of fast and broken brushwork, she never fully relinquished her preference for a more realistic rendering of the human form. In Young Girl with Lamb, the sitter’s facial features are distinctive; the fullness of her cheeks, her attentive gaze, the subtle expression of her mouth are not merely suggested, they are manifested with gentle precision. Perhaps even more striking is the combing gesture at the heart of the painting. The detailed rendering of the girl’s arm, fingers and soft embrace of the toy lamb mirror the meticulousness of her task. Young Girl with Lamb depicts a seemingly casual moment, but Perry’s arresting portrayal heightens its engrossing quality.

As this portrait exemplifies, childhood is a recurring subject across Perry’s work, often paired with the themes of innocence and purity. All the visual elements of the painting, including the girl’s white dress, the accessory of the toy lamb, as well as the soft and muted tones in the background, convey a sense of intimate tenderness.