Artwork
Mlle Charlotte Berthier
Mlle Charlotte Berthier is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It dates from 1883 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:center right: Renoir. 83.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work belongs to the portrait genre and is executed in oil on canvas, reflecting the conventions of late‑19th‑century French portraiture.
Renoir’s 1883 portrait Mlle Charlotte Berthier portrays the sitter Anne‑Marie Hagen alongside a single flower, a motif that functions as a visual element within the composition. The work belongs to the portrait genre and is executed in oil on canvas, reflecting the conventions of late‑19th‑century French portraiture. The inclusion of the flower forms part of the iconography, suggesting an association with themes of femininity or transience that were commonly invoked in contemporary depictions of women.
The painting’s provenance records its passage from the artist’s circle to several collectors before its acquisition by the National Gallery of Art, underscoring its historical significance.
Technique & Style
The portrait is executed in oil paint on a prepared canvas support, measuring 92.1 cm in height and 73 cm in width. The handling reflects Renoir’s plein-air-inflected Impressionist brushwork of the early 1880s, with loose, blended strokes that model form through modulated light rather than linear definition, particularly evident in the sitter’s face and the floral accents. The composition balances a restricted, earth-toned palette with flecks of brighter pigment, most notably in the decorative touches around the figure, while the background remains softly atmospheric, allowing the subject to emerge through tonal contrast.
No pentimenti are recorded, and the paint surface appears even in distribution, suggesting a single, deliberate campaign without major reworking.
History & Provenance
The portrait Mlle Charlotte Berthier (1883) by Auguste Renoir was likely commissioned by or painted for Alexandre Berthier, Prince de Wagram, whose sister, Élisabeth Marguerite, Princesse de La Tour d’Auvergne-Lauraguais, inherited it. After his death in 1918, the work passed through the Wagram heirs and was sold in 1929 via Étienne Bignou to Alex Reid & Lefèvre in London, jointly with M. Knoedler & Co. and Marcel Kapferer. It was acquired the same year by Baron Maurice de Rothschild, then consigned to Wildenstein & Co. by 1933.
Angelica Wertheim Frink purchased it by 1941, later donating it to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in 1970.
The painting entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1970 as a gift from Angelica Wertheim Frink. Prior to this acquisition, the work was lent to several exhibitions, including shows in Philadelphia in 1933 and Hartford in 1937 while held by Wildenstein and Co. Additionally, Frink loaned the piece to two exhibitions in New York in 1941.
The work's inventory status is confirmed by its presence in the National Gallery of Art's permanent collection, where it is classified as an oil on canvas portrait created in 1883.
Legacy
Later scholarship has highlighted the portrait’s significance within Renoir’s oeuvre, noting its refined treatment of subject and its role in documenting fashionable Parisian circles. The painting passed through notable owners, including the Caillebotte family, the Rothschilds, and Angelica Wertheim Frink, before entering the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1970. Exhibition loans to Philadelphia (1933) and Hartford (1937) and its inclusion in Daulte’s 1971 catalogue raisonné have reinforced its scholarly reputation.
The work remains part of the Gallery’s permanent collection and is frequently cited in studies of Renoir’s portraiture.
Overview
Auguste Renoir's 1883 oil on canvas painting, titled Mlle Charlotte Berthier, presents a portrait of a young woman. This work, currently housed at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, captures its subject within a natural setting. The artist employs his characteristic approach to color and light to render the figure and her surroundings, reflecting a moment of quiet contemplation.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style.
