La Porte-fenetre (French windows)

Pierre Bonnard

In his classic post-Impressionist fashion, Bonnard presents La Porte-fenetre as a dreamy, summery interior with an opened set of French windows, a small Dachshund seated at the entry and a garden in the background.

An extremely rare proof from a plate originally created for publication in his grand nephew Charles Terrasse's de luxe book on the artist. Cataloger Francis Bouvet records only 6 trial proof impressions, three impressions printed on white wove paper, another three on cream Japanese laid, of which this is one. The plate was not used and no edition appears to have been printed. The plate was canceled.

Bouvet notes: "It was rejected by the painter and was replaced by the engraving "Errand-girls; for this reason no more than a few trial proofs were printed."

There is an impression, printed on the same paper at the National Gallery in Washington, DC, #2000.280.90. We have found no examples of this etching ever having been sold at auction.