William Bouguereau French | 1825-1905 Petite Mendiante (Little Beggar) Signed “W. Bouguereau 1880” (center left) Oil on canvas William Bouguereau's faithful images of young women as beggars, gypsies and shepherdesses are an eternal expression of the female. In this magnificent painting titled Petite Mendiante, translated as Little Beggar, he renders a young girl, utilizing the classically inspired techniques of the French Academy. In doing so, he elevates her beyond the harshness of life to reflect her inherent beauty, regardless of her social standing. The child gazes out with an expression of wisdom far beyond her years, in front of a vast and alluring landscape of natural beauty. Bouguereau was a product of Enlightenment thinking and often used his artistic gift to bring attention to the plight of the poor. His eye for realistic detail allowed him to communicate the equality of all humanity through his stunning compositions, as illustrated by this magnificent work. Unpretentious and modest, Bouguereau became one of the most decorated artists of the 19th century. He received medals from the Salons and Universal Expositions, successive ranks in the prestigious Legion of Honor, and was the leading member of the Institute of France and President of the Society of Painters, Sculptors and Engravers. His art never deviated from the basic principles of Academic training. He so dominated the Salons of the Third Republic that the official Salon became known as Le Salon Bouguereau. In addition to the accolades of the art world, Bouguereau received many commissions to decorate public buildings including the Grand Théâtre, Bordeaux and the chapels of Sainte Clothilde, Saint Vincent de Paul and Saint Augustin, Paris. He also painted decorations for private mansions of the Paris and La Rochelle property entrepreneurs. Bouguereau's paintings are immensely popular in the United States evidenced by the fact that his works are a part of many public and private collections throughout the country, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and many more. Circa 1880 Canvas: 46” high x 29” wide Frame: 58 1/4” high x 41 1/2” wide Provenance: Goupil & Cie., Paris (acquired from the artist on August 3, 1880) William Schaus, New York Sale, American Art Association, Wall-Brown Collection, March 1886, lot 175 Sale, Sotheby's NY, May 21, 1987, lot 96 Sale, Sotheby's NY May 24, 1995, lot 138 Private Collection, NJ M.S. Rau, New Orleans Private Collection, IL M.S. Rau, New Orleans Literature: Charles Vendryes, Catalogue illustre des oeuvres de W. Bouguereau, Paris: editions Baschet, 1885, p. 61 Marius Vachon, W. Bouguereau, Paris, 1900, p. 154 Mark S. Walker, Williams Bouguereau: A Summary Catalogue of the Paintings, NY, 1991, p. 71 D. Bartoli, William Bouguereau: Catalogue Raisonné of the Painted Works, 2010, p. 202, pl. 156