Sotheby’s 4 November 2009
![]()
La Seine à Argenteuil with its tranquil ambiance and focus on the rural, pre-industrial aspects of river life is typical of Alfred Sisley’s finest work (est. $1.5/2 million, £900,000/1.2 million, €1/1.5 million). Painted in 1870 during a stay in Argenteuil with Monet shortly after the Franco-Prussian War, the present canvas belongs to a group of works that documents Sisley’s observations of the town and its riverbanks. While sharing a general affinity with Monet’s work of this period, Sisley’s own particular fixations are evident in the subject matter of these paintings – his compositions place a greater emphasis on the serenity of nature and the subtle harmonies of light and color, unlike those of Monet who often chose to highlight riverside activity or industry as symbols of modernity.
![]()
The commune of Sèvres, located just over six miles southwest of central Paris, was the setting of several of Sisley’s landscapes at the height of his involvement with the Impressionist group. The artist moved to Sèvres in 1877 and spent the next three years painting its landmarks, including its bridges, the station house and the well-known porcelain factory. Vue de Sèvres provides a vivid depiction of the landscape’s topography, particularly in its rendering of the steep roadway that trails off into the background (est. $600/800,000, £350/450,000, €450/550,000). From the verdant green that dominates the composition, it seems likely that Sisley painted this oil in late spring or early summer of 1879. By the end of the year Sisley would turn his artistic attention towards views of Moret-sur-Loing, but his experience in Sèvres was fundamental in shaping his technique for those later landscapes.
Sotheby's 2014
![]()
LOT SOLD. 4,869,000
![]()
LOT SOLD. 3,749,000
![]()
LOT SOLD. 1,082,500 GBP
![]()
LOT SOLD. 3,189,000 USD
![]()
Los Verkauft 755,000 USD
Sotheby's 2014
LOT SOLD. 4,869,000
LOT SOLD. 3,749,000
LOT SOLD. 1,082,500 GBP
LOT SOLD. 3,189,000 USD
Los Verkauft 755,000 USD
Sotheby's 2012
Christie's 2013
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Pr.$1,721,000
Christie's 2012
Christie's 2011
![]()
Christie's2009
Christie's2007
