| Absinthe & Art III - Maurice Utrillo |
| A truly remarkable survival: an intact bottle of circa 1910 Absinthe Pernod Fils to which is attached with twine an original pen and ink sketch by Maurice Utrillo, showing one of the typical Montmartre scenes for which he is so famous. It's unclear whether the original owner - a student in Paris in the early 1900's - combined the sketch and the bottle like this as a momento of his time in Paris, or whether this was actually a gift from the artist. |
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The finely rendered ink sketch shows two women climbing the
narrow cobbled stairs of Montmartre, and is signed by Utrillo at
lower right.
narrow cobbled stairs of Montmartre, and is signed by Utrillo at
lower right.
Two photographs taken by
camera-phone in the original
cellar, showing the bottle as
found: in a wooden storage chest
together with two other bottles of
absinthe and many old letters and
other documents and
memorabilia from the era.
camera-phone in the original
cellar, showing the bottle as
found: in a wooden storage chest
together with two other bottles of
absinthe and many old letters and
other documents and
memorabilia from the era.
This bottle originates from the cellars of a famous European family, hotel and
restaurant owners for generations. An ancestor of the present owner studied in
Paris in the first years of the 20th century, this extraordinary bottle is a souvenir of
that period, and was found in a wooden box full of family memorabilia, together with
two other bottles of absinthe from the same era and many contemporary letters and
documents. The Absinthe Pernod Fils is in fine condition with its original wax seal,
the sketch is tied to the reverse side of the bottle with twine and affixed on the edges
with resin. It is a characteristic subject for Utrillo - two women walking up the
cobbled stepped street in his beloved Montmartre. Stylistically, it clearly dates from
his earliest and best period, before the ravages of alcoholism impaired his artistic
faculties.
restaurant owners for generations. An ancestor of the present owner studied in
Paris in the first years of the 20th century, this extraordinary bottle is a souvenir of
that period, and was found in a wooden box full of family memorabilia, together with
two other bottles of absinthe from the same era and many contemporary letters and
documents. The Absinthe Pernod Fils is in fine condition with its original wax seal,
the sketch is tied to the reverse side of the bottle with twine and affixed on the edges
with resin. It is a characteristic subject for Utrillo - two women walking up the
cobbled stepped street in his beloved Montmartre. Stylistically, it clearly dates from
his earliest and best period, before the ravages of alcoholism impaired his artistic
faculties.
Maurice Utrillo, born Maurice Valadon, (26 December 1883 – 5 November 1955) was born in the Montmartre quarter of Paris, the son of
the artist Suzanne Valadon, who was then an eighteen-year-old artist's model. She never revealed who had been the father of her child;
speculation exists that he was the offspring from a liaison with an equally young amateur painter named Boissy, or even with Renoir. In
1891 a Spanish artist, Miguel Utrillo y Molins, signed a legal document acknowledging paternity, although the question remains as to
whether he was in fact the child's father.
Valadon, who had become a model after a fall from a trapeze ended her chosen career as a circus acrobat, found that posing for Berthe
Morisot, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, and others provided her with an opportunity to study their techniques; in some cases, she had also
become their mistress. She taught herself to paint, and when Toulouse-Lautrec introduced her to Edgar Degas, he became her mentor.
Eventually she became a peer of the artists she had posed for.
Meanwhile, her mother was left in charge of raising the young Maurice, who soon showed a troubling inclination toward truancy and
alcoholism. When a mental illness took hold of the twenty-one year old Utrillo in 1904, he was encouraged to paint by his mother. He
soon showed real artistic talent. With no training beyond what his mother taught him, he drew and painted what he saw in Montmartre.
After 1910 his work attracted critical attention, and by 1920 he was internationally acclaimed. In 1928, the French government awarded
him the Cross of the Légion d'honneur. Throughout his life, however, his mental disorder would result in his being interned in mental
asylums repeatedly.
In middle age Utrillo became fervently religious and in 1935, at the age of fifty-two, he married Lucie Valore and moved to Le Vesinet, just
outside of Paris. By that time, he was too ill to work in the open air and painted landscapes viewed from windows, from post cards, and
from memory.
Although his life also was plagued by alcoholism, he lived into his seventies. Maurice Utrillo died on 5 November 1955, and was buried
in the Cimetière Saint-Vincent in Montmartre.
the artist Suzanne Valadon, who was then an eighteen-year-old artist's model. She never revealed who had been the father of her child;
speculation exists that he was the offspring from a liaison with an equally young amateur painter named Boissy, or even with Renoir. In
1891 a Spanish artist, Miguel Utrillo y Molins, signed a legal document acknowledging paternity, although the question remains as to
whether he was in fact the child's father.
Valadon, who had become a model after a fall from a trapeze ended her chosen career as a circus acrobat, found that posing for Berthe
Morisot, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, and others provided her with an opportunity to study their techniques; in some cases, she had also
become their mistress. She taught herself to paint, and when Toulouse-Lautrec introduced her to Edgar Degas, he became her mentor.
Eventually she became a peer of the artists she had posed for.
Meanwhile, her mother was left in charge of raising the young Maurice, who soon showed a troubling inclination toward truancy and
alcoholism. When a mental illness took hold of the twenty-one year old Utrillo in 1904, he was encouraged to paint by his mother. He
soon showed real artistic talent. With no training beyond what his mother taught him, he drew and painted what he saw in Montmartre.
After 1910 his work attracted critical attention, and by 1920 he was internationally acclaimed. In 1928, the French government awarded
him the Cross of the Légion d'honneur. Throughout his life, however, his mental disorder would result in his being interned in mental
asylums repeatedly.
In middle age Utrillo became fervently religious and in 1935, at the age of fifty-two, he married Lucie Valore and moved to Le Vesinet, just
outside of Paris. By that time, he was too ill to work in the open air and painted landscapes viewed from windows, from post cards, and
from memory.
Although his life also was plagued by alcoholism, he lived into his seventies. Maurice Utrillo died on 5 November 1955, and was buried
in the Cimetière Saint-Vincent in Montmartre.