Roderic O'Conor (1860-1940) Portrait of a Woman Oil on panel, 45.8 x 37.3cm (18 x 14½'') Signed, stamped 'Atelier O'Conor' verso Provenance: Hotel Drouot, Paris, Vente O'Conor, 6 février 1956;...

Roderic O'Conor (1860-1940) Portrait of a Woman Oil on panel, 45.8 x 37.3cm (18 x 14½'') Signed, stamped 'Atelier O'Conor' verso Provenance: Hotel Drouot, Paris, Vente O'Conor, 6 février 1956; Musée du Petit Palais, Geneve, collection of Dr. Oscar Ghez; by descent to Dr. Ghez's son and heir, Dr. Claude Ghez; with Marie -Francoise Robert, Hotel Drouot, Paris, sale of 10 June 2005; private collection Paris This work relates to the series of portraits of women who came to O'Conor's rue du Cherche-Midi studio in the Montparnasse quartier of Paris to pose for him after he took up residence there in 1904 following a thirteen year period spent painting in Brit­tany. Most were hired as professional models and frequently posed nude, but they also included Renée Honta, a particular favourite who became his mistress and later his wife. He painted this model on at least three occasions, which might lead us to the conclusion that this could be a portrait of Renée Honta but close comparison with known portraits of Renée proved to be inconclusive and this woman's identity remains uncertain. Of the three portraits mentioned above two are closely related and were probably painted on the same day. In a larger painting known as 'Portrait of a Seated Woman' or 'Le Corsage Bleu' she wears the same dress with its distinctive wide collar and uniformly repeated blue pattern motif, but takes up a pose in which she is more clearly seated deep in the studio interior, with her hands folded in her lap and a similar rather forlorn expression on her face. The similarity in viewing position and dress suggests that this work preceded the larger painting and its lively brushwork and sense of immediacy fairly clearly establishes it as a preliminary study for the work to follow. The elongation of the facial features here also suggests a possible influence from Amedeo Modigliani although O'Conor has avoided the full adoption of Modigliani's schematic treatment of facial features which gave his portraits their distinctive character. Modigliani was a painter whom O'Conor is known to have admired and who was represented in his personal collection. 'Portrait of a Woman' was formerly in the collection of Dr. Oscar Ghez at the Musée du Petit Palais, Genève until his death in 1998. Subsequently his son and heir Dr. Claude Ghez rationalised the museum's collection through making selective private donations and sales at auction. This work was in a Marie- Francoise Robert sale in Paris at Hôtel Drouot on 10 June, 2005 (Lot 89). Dr. Roy Johnston

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