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Artist or Maker: Jehan Georges Vibert (French, 1840-1902)

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Provenance: Mary Jane Morgan; American Art Galleries, New York, 8-10 March 1886, lot 153.
Mrs. M. H. Arnot, Elmira, New York (acquired from the above sale).
Walter G. Sulzer, Jr; Sotheby Parke-Bernet, New York, 4 June 1975, lot 194.
with Hammer Galleries, New York (acquired at the above sale).
Anonymous sale, Sotheby's, New York, 7 May 1998, lot 193.
Anonymous sale, Christie's, New York, 2 May 2001, lot 64.
Acquired from the above sale by the present owner.

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Notes: THE PROPERTY OF A MIDWESTERN COLLECTOR


Monseigneur en visite is the first of two works illustrated in the chapter by the same title in Vibert's book La comedie en peinture (1902) in which illustrations of his works are described by amusing stories. Both the artist's paintings, and his descriptions of them, are humorous and satirical, often at the expense of the clergy.

The story for the present paintings is taken from the point of view of the young woman from the provinces, seen in the pink dress in the painting, who is describing the visit of a clergyman to her aunt in Paris. On the next page in Vibert's book, accompanying the companion piece to this pictures which depicts a cardinal and woman playing cards, we are treated to the aunt's reply to her niece in which she tells of her own experiences with a clergyman of high rank.

Vibert's text for the present work is as follows:

'My dear aunt: At last - yesterday I had his Reverence ( Monseigneur ) around for my private five o'clock . What a triumph for me! No longer shall I be the little scatterbrain, the frivolous little girl the world likes to think I am, since I have been found fit to receive such an honorable person. For as you know, here in the provinces such a visit carries so much more importance - so much more, that it was even discussed and approved on high beforehand. I tried to do myself justice, for the sake of my name and family and for you, my dear aunt, who have been my mentor [...] I do not dare say that I succeeded as you would have with your experience, but I think that this first impression was not bad at all. Then I had the unheard of luck the have the comtesse de B, whom you know by name, drop in a third of the way into the visit who served as my foil, my moral foil of course [...] She would not stop gesticulating, getting up, changing places, offering tea, offering cakes. One would have thought she was in her own home, you have my work of honor! And what chatter! His Reverence speaking of his missions, and she would get out all her old schoolbooks on theology, history and geography. She's a true atlas, that lady, the only difference being that Atlas supported the world and that the world could not possibly support her [...] And her ridiculous questions! Picture a lady asking a dignified clergyman if, during his moments of solitude, he ever missed having conversation! She elicited this response which, naturally, she did not understand: 'Never, madam! And today I shall return to them with greater enthusiasm than ever!'