Gwen John
A seated tortoiseshell cat (probably Edgar Quinet)
ENQUIRE ABOUT A SEATED TORTOISESHELL CAT (PROBABLY EDGAR QUINET)
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Stamped with estate stamp l.l., watercolour and pencil on tan paper, numbered verso in pencil: 67 (twice)
16.2 x 12.9 cm.; 6 3/8 x 5 1/8 inches
Provenance
The Estate of the artist, by descent
In February 1904 Gwen John and Dorelia McNeill left Toulouse for Paris where they took a room in the Hôtel de Mont Blanc at 19 Boulevard Edgar Quinet in the 14th arrondissement. They acquired a female tortoiseshell cat with a white breast which Gwen John named after the street and drew frequently, and which would appear to be the subject of the present drawing which dates from around 1905-1908.
Gwen John had many cats throughout her life, and when Edgar Quinet disappeared in 1908 she wrote a poem in her memory entitled Au Chat which she sent to Rodin. Her remarkable cat drawings capture the personality of the animals and are understandably acclaimed.
