Flood at Port-Marly
1872
Artist, French, 1839 - 1899

In December 1872, Sisley traveled to Port-Marly, a village in the western suburbs of Paris. There he produced four paintings showing the flooding of the Seine River. At first glance, this scene looks peaceful. The waters are calm, reflecting the overcast sky. A pair of women seem to be chatting in front of the entrance to a wine merchant’s shop.
On closer inspection, we see small boats crossing flooded streets and trees emerging directly from the water. It is a surprisingly mundane portrayal of a climate disaster.

West Building Main Floor, Gallery 82
Artwork overview
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Medium
oil on canvas
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Credit Line
-
Dimensions
overall: 46.4 x 61 cm (18 1/4 x 24 in.)
framed: 64.7 x 80 x 9.5 cm (25 1/2 x 31 1/2 x 3 3/4 in.) -
Accession
1985.64.38
Artwork history & notes
Provenance
Marie-Albert, vicomte de Curel [1827-1908], Paris;[1] by descent in his family to Mlle de Curel, Paris;[2] (de Curel sale, Palais Galliéra, Paris, 21 June 1961, no. D); purchased by (Hector Brame, Paris) for Mr. Paul Mellon, Upperville, Virginia; gift 1985 to NGA.
[1] The vicomte de Curel has been identified by François Auffret, Président of La Société des Amis de Jongkind in Paris (founded 1970), with confirmation from the collector's descendants. With M. Auffret's kind permission, his research was shared with the NGA by Dr. Diana Kostyrko (see her e-mails from October through December 2008 in NGA curatorial files). The NGA painting was not included in the 25 November 1918 Curel estate sale held at the Galerie Georges Petit (originally scheduled for 3 May 1918).
[2] The painting was lent by Mlle de Curel to the 1932 Royal Academy exhibition in London.
Associated Names
Exhibition History
1932
Exhibition of French Art 1200-1900, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1932, no. 525
1963
Die Isle de France und ihre Maler. Nationalgalerie,, Berlin, 1963
1966
French Paintings from the Collections of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon and Mrs. Mellon Bruce, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1966, no. 73, repro
1986
Gifts to the Nation: Selected Acquisitions from the Collections of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1986, unnumbered checklist
2010
Da Corot a Monet. La sinfonia della natura., Complesso Monumentale del Vittoriano, Rome, 2010, no. 91, repro.
2013
Eblouissants reflets: cent chefs-d'oeuvre impressionistes, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen, 2013, no. 113, repro.
Intimate Impressionism from the National Gallery of Art, Museo dell'Ara Pacis Augustae, Rome (exhibition title in this venue: Impressionist Gems); California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco; McNay Art Museum, San Antonio; Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum, Tokyo, Seattle Art Museum, 2013-2016, pl. 6.
2017
Alfred Sisley (1839-1899): Impressionist Master, Bruce Museum of Arts and Science, Greenwich, Connecticut; Hôtel de Caumont, Centre d'Art, Aix-en-Provence, 2017, unnumbered catalogue, repro.
Bibliography
1966
Goldwater, Robert. "The Glory that was France." Art News 65 (March 1966): 86.
1992
National Gallery of Art, Washington. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1992: 191, repro.
2004
Hand, John Oliver. National Gallery of Art: Master Paintings from the Collection. Washington and New York, 2004: 381, no. 314, color repro.
Inscriptions
lower left: Sisley.72
Wikidata ID
Q20188749