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Dimensions: 18 by 15 in.; 45.7 by 38.1 cm.
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Provenance: PROPERTY OF A PRIVATE COLLECTOR
Sale, Paris, April, 2, 1857, lot 5;
Haudoin Paris;
His sale, Hôtel des Commisseurs Priseurs, Paris, April 28, 1857, lot 29;
M. Maulaz;
His Estate Sale, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, November 29 - December 1, 1875, lot 36 for 750 ff;
Anonymous sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, April 9 - 12, 1883, lot 34 (as dated on the paino 1786);
Emile Pereire, Paris;
His sale, Paris, Palais Galliera, November 8, 1972, no. 12;
With H. Shickman Gallery, New York, by 1973;
From whom purchased by the present family circa 1980.
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Exhibited: New York, H. Schickman Gallery, A Sampler, March 1973, p. 7;
Los Angeles, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Women Artists 1550 - 1950, December 21, 1976 - March 13, 1977, cat. no. 64.
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Literature: S. Wells-Robertson, Marguerite Gérard, vol. II, New York University PH.d. diss., New York 1978, p. 749, cat. no. 16, illustrated.
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Notes: The present painting is a wonderful example of the type of painting that Gérard made famous. Her intimate depictions of maternal love and strong, independent women were prized among her contemporaries. A testament to her success is the large number of engravings made by Gérard Vidal, Robert de Launay and Henri Gérard (Marguerite's brother). If one could not own an original painting by the artist then he or she would happily satisfy themselves with an engraving.
Gérard's meticulous and clean style recalls that of the Dutch masters a century earlier. While her Dutch predecessors might have conceived the present work with more sexual undertones, Gérard has chosen a more romantic and maternal theme. In The Piano Lesson Gérard gives the viewer a glimpse into the world of the upper class or bourgeoisie. It is an idealized world, one of beauty and luxury. The mother, with her porcelain features, is clothed in opulent fabrics and surrounded by luxurious items: a piano, a guitar, a jewelry box and a brass jug. Clearly, she has the means to hire a music teacher if not a governess, but Gérard has endowed her with the responsibility for her daughter's education.
According to Dr. Robertson (see Literature below) Gérard almost never dated her paintings and one may surmise that the date of 1785, 86 or 87 was copied from the paino itself along with the name of the manufacturer (now illegible) and the location. The piano in fact, was identified as a "square" piano by Laurance Lubin, Curator of Musical Instruments at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
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