A Girl with a Watering Can

1876

Auguste Renoir

Artist, French, 1841 - 1919

A pale-skinned young girl with blond hair, wearing a blue dress, stands in a garden in this vertical painting. The girl and background are painted with blended strokes, giving the scene and especially the girl a soft look. She faces our right and stands in the middle of the composition. Her shoulder-length cloud of hair is topped with a red bow, and long bangs frame her round face. Under faint brows, her sapphire-blue eyes look to our right. She has a petite nose, and her coral-pink mouth turns up in a slight smile. Her cobalt-blue dress is trimmed with wide, blue-white lace on the neckline, across the bottom hem, and down the front to either side of a row of white buttons. The white edges her petticoats come down to just below her knees, peeking out from under the flaring skirt. She wears white socks over blue ankle boots, which also have a row of white buttons down the side we can see. Her near hand is raised with her index finger hooked in the handle of a green watering can, and she holds two daisies by her side in her other hand. She stands on a path flecked with ivory white, pale purples, greens, and pink that curves up and to her left. A bush with emerald and pine-green leaves dotted with pink blooms fills the lower left corner. Behind her, green grass runs back to meet a profusion of pink, purple, and poppy-red plants and flowers that run along the top edge of the composition. The artist signed and dated the lower right, “Renoir. 76.”

Media Options

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In 1876, Renoir began to paint anecdotal depictions of women and children, subjects in which he excelled. A Girl with a Watering Can, typical of these works, displays a mature impressionist style attuned to the specific requirements of figure painting. Renoir's colors reflect the freshness and radiance of the impressionist palette, while his handling is more controlled and regular than in his landscapes, with even brushstrokes applied in delicate touches, especially in the girl’s face. Brilliant prismatic hues envelop the child in an atmosphere of warm light and charmingly convey her innocent appeal.

Specific identifications have been proposed for the girl, but none is convincing. More likely, Renoir depicted a neighborhood child whose pretty features pleased him. A girl with similar curly blond hair, sparkling blue eyes, plump pink cheeks, and smiling red lips appears, dressed the same way in other paintings by Renoir, suggesting she was a favorite figure in the artist’s repertory. A Girl with a Watering Can is a showcase of the grace and charm of the artist's work.

On View

West Building Main Floor, Gallery 85

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Chester Dale Collection

  • Dimensions

    overall: 100 x 73 cm (39 3/8 x 28 3/4 in.)
    framed: 125.7 x 97.5 x 6.9 cm (49 1/2 x 38 3/8 x 2 11/16 in.)

  • Accession

    1963.10.206

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Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Possibly commissioned c. 1876 for the Sellière Collection, Paris; by inheritance to Comte Batthiany, by 1898; Alexandre Rosenberg, Paris. Possibly Paul Bérard [1830-1905], Paris.[1] Alexandre Berthier [1883-1918], 4th prince de Wagram; sold probably by his heirs through (Canadeesche Hypothek Bank) through (Étienne Bignou, Paris) to (Alex Reid & Lefèvre, London); on joint account with (M. Knoedler & Co., London, New York and Paris) and (Marcel Kapferer); sold September 1931 through (Galerie Étienne Bignou, Paris) to Chester Dale [1882-1962], New York; [2] bequest 1963 to NGA.
[1] According to an annotated photograph in the albums of the Bignou Gallery now at the documentation center of the Musée d'Orsay (copy NGA curatorial files). Bérard was a banker and patron of Renoir. This painting is not included in his estate sale held at Galerie Georges Petit in 1905.
[2] Reid & Lefèvre Paintings Sold, sheet no. 204, #14/29 B1405 gives acquisition source and partial share information (Lefèvre archives, Hyman Kreitman Research Centre, Tate Britain, London, TGA 2002/11, Box 283). M. Knoedler & Co. Records, accession number 2012.M.54, Research Library, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles: Painting Stock book no. 5, London 1928-1939; Stock book no. 8, New York, no. A620; Inventory card, box 115, item 005; copies in NGA curatorial files.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1910

  • Possibly IX esposizione internazionale d’arte della città di Venezia, Venice, 1910, no. 7, as Ragazzina con inaffiatoio.

1929

  • The Classical Period of Renoir, M. Knoedler & Co., New York, November 1929, no. II

1930

  • Vincent van Gogh en zijn Tijdgenooten, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, 1930, no. 258.

  • Renoir and the Post-Impressionists, Alex. Reid & Lefevre, London, June-July 1930, no. 1.

1931

  • Renoir and His Tradition, Museum of French Art, New York, 1931, no.13.

1965

  • The Chester Dale Bequest, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1965, unnumbered checklist.

2010

  • From Impressionism to Modernism: The Chester Dale Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, January 2010-January 2012, unnumbered catalogue, repro.

Bibliography

1918

  • Vollard, Ambroise. Tableaux, Pastels & Dessins de Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Paris, 1918:89, repro.

1931

  • Wilenski, R.H. French Painting. Boston, 1931: 267, repro pl. 103.

  • "Renoir and His Tradition." New York Sun (28 November 1931):

1935

  • Barnes, Albert C. and Violette de Mazia. The Art of Renoir. New York, 1935: 58n, 64, 68n, 447 no. 56.

  • Bertram, Anthony. August Renoir. London, 1935: repro. plate VII.

1937

  • McBride, Henry. "The Renoirs in America: In Appreciation of the Metropolitan Museum's Exhibition," Art News 35, no. 31 (1 May 1937):60, repro.

1941

  • Catalogue of French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1941: 13, repro. pl. XXIV

1942

  • French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1942: 62, repro.

  • "Art News Series of Masterpieces in American Museums, no. 5: Chester Dale Collection." Art News (15 May 1942): repro. cover.

  • Dale, Chester. "The Golden Century of French Art." The New York Times Magazine 17 May 1942: 20, repro.

1944

  • Cairns, Huntington, and John Walker, eds. Masterpieces of Painting from the National Gallery of Art. New York, 1944: 170, color repro.

  • French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1944: 62, repro.

  • Jewell, Edward Alden. French Impressionists and their Contemporaries Represented in American Collections. New York, 1944: repro. 124.

1947

  • Butterfield, Roger. "The Millionaires' Best Friend." Saturday Evening Post (8 March 1947): 31, repro.

1948

  • Leclerc, André. Renoir. New York, 1948: repro. 14, 18.

  • Walker, John. "Pierre-August Renoir." Ladies Home Journal (June 1948):

1951

  • King, Marian. Portfolio Number 3. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1951: no. 12, color repro.

1952

  • Gaunt, William. Renoir. London, 1952: plate 30.

1953

  • French Paintings from the Chester Dale Collection. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1953: 72, repro.

  • Berr de Turique, Marcelle. Renoir. Paris, c. 1953: repro. plate 30.

1955

  • King, Marian. A Gallery of Children: Portraits from the National Gallery of Art. Philadelphia and New York, 1955:40, repro. 41.

1956

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. New York, 1956: 54, color repro.

1957

  • Fox, Milton. A Gallery of Portraits by Renoir. New York, 1957: 3, repro.

1959

  • Evans, Grose. French Painting of the 19th Century in the National Gallery of Art. Washington, D.C., 1959 (Booklet Number Two in Ten Schools of Painting in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.): 42, color repro. on cover.

1960

  • The National Gallery of Art and Its Collections. Foreword by Perry B. Cott and notes by Otto Stelzer. National Gallery of Art, Washington (undated, 1960s): 25, color repro. 16.

1961

  • Fosca, François. Renoir, His Life and Work. London, 1961: repro. 49.

1963

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. New York, 1963 (reprinted 1964 in French, German, and Spanish): 260, repro.

1965

  • Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 113.

  • Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Paintings & Sculpture of the French School in the Chester Dale Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1965: 109, repro.

1966

  • Cairns, Huntington, and John Walker, eds. A Pageant of Painting from the National Gallery of Art. 2 vols. New York, 1966: 2:444, color repro.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 100, repro.

  • Gandolfo, Giampaolo et al. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Great Museums of the World. New York, 1968: 82, 84, color repro.

1970

  • Renior. Paris, Réalités Hachette, 1970: 179, repro. 178.

1971

  • Daulte, Francois. Auguste Renoir, catalogue raisonne de l'oeuvre peint. Vol.I. Figures 1860-1890. Lausanne, 1971: no.177

1972

  • Fezzi, Elda. L'opera completa di Renoir nel period impressionista. Milan, 1972:99 no. 228, color repro plate XXX.

1973

  • Finley, David Edward. A Standard of Excellence: Andrew W. Mellon Founds the National Gallery of Art at Washington. Washington, 1973: 112 repro.

1975

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1975: 294, repro.

1976

  • Gaunt, William. Renoir. Oxford, 1976: repro. 14.

  • Lefevre Gallery. Alex. Reid & Lefevre 1926-1976. Intro by Douglas Cooper. London, 1976: 62, repro.

1978

  • King, Marian. Adventures in Art: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. New York, 1978: 88, pl. 53.

1979

  • Watson, Ross. The National Gallery of Art, Washington. New York, 1979: 113, pl. 100.

1982

  • Gaunt, William. Renoir. 3rd. ed. Oxford, 1982: repro. 27.

1984

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 460, no. 667, color repro.

1985

  • European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1985: 339, repro.

1988

  • Southgate, M. Therese. "The Cover: Auguste Renoir, A Girl with a Watering Can." Journal of the American Medical Association 259, no. 22 (10 June 1988): cover, 3223, color repro.

1991

  • Kopper, Philip. America's National Gallery of Art: A Gift to the Nation. New York, 1991: 239-240, 242, color repro.

1992

  • National Gallery of Art, Washington. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 195, repro.

1995

  • Distel, Anne. Renoir A Sensuous Vision. New York, 1995: 50-51, repro.

1996

  • Boardingham, Robert J. Impressionist Masterpieces in American Museums. New York, 1996: repro.

1997

  • Kelder, Diane. The Great Book of French Impressionism, 1997, no. 229, repro.

1998

  • Zuffi, Stefano and Francesca Castira. La peinture moderne des impressionnistes aux avant-gardes. Paris, 1998: 121, repro.

2001

  • Southgate, M. Therese. The Art of JAMA II: Covers and Essays from The Journal of the American Medical Association. Chicago, 2001: 10-11, color repro.

2004

  • Hand, John Oliver. National Gallery of Art: Master Paintings from the Collection. Washington and New York, 2004: 381, no. 316, color repro.

2007

  • Dauberville, Guy-Patrice, and Michel Dauberville. Renoir: Catalogue raisonné des tableaux, pastels, dessins et aquarelles. 5 vols. Paris, 2007: 1:no. 498.

2012

  • Kennicott, Philip. "French Rooms Reopen, With Different Accents." Washington Post 135, no. 55 (January 29, 2012): E25.

Inscriptions

lower right: Renoir. 76.

Wikidata ID

Q4657050

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