Child with a Whip (L'Enfant au fouet)
Painting on canvas • Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Style & Movement
Impressionism
Medium & Technique
Oil on canvas; features soft, feathered brushwork characteristic of the artist's mature style, with delicate glazing and light impasto in the highlights.
Creation Period
1885
Dimensions & Format
Approximately 105 x 75 cm; Portrait orientation
Subject Description
A portrait of a young boy (historically identified as Étienne Goujon) dressed in a light-blue lace-trimmed outfit, holding a toy whip. The composition is set against a lush, impressionistic garden background with dappled light on the path.
Condition & Value Assessment
Condition Assessment
Excellent; well-preserved in a museum environment.
Estimated Market Value
$40,000,000 - $60,000,000 USD
Auction Estimate
$35,000,000 - $55,000,000 USD
Provenance History
Acquired by the Hermitage/State Museum of Modern Western Art in 1948; previously in the collection of Ivan Morozov (purchased from the Vollard Gallery, Paris, in 1913).
Art Historical Significance
A significant work from Renoir's 'Ingres' or 'dry' period where he combined Impressionist light with more disciplined line work and form. It is a prime example of late 19th-century bourgeois portraiture.
Notable Features
Signed 'Renoir. 85' at the bottom right. Housed in an ornate gilded wood frame. Accompanied by museum wall text identifying its history in the Morozov collection.
Condition Issues
None visible in the current display; minor natural craquelure consistent with age may be present under close inspection.
Conservation Recommendations
Maintain stable humidity (45-55%) and temperature; keep under UV-filtered museum-grade lighting.