Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841–1919), Nude Woman Among Trees, 1906, from the series *Femme nue couchée / Le Repos* (circa 1906–1910), 1919

Color etching on tin on Arches paper, 20 x 24 cm (plate print),
mounted in a gold frame, 40 x 44 cm; signed on the plate, lower right: Renoir; lower left: the publisher’s dry seal “A. VOLLARD (…) ESTATE.” Accompanied by an original certificate from the Ambroise Vollard Estate, personally signed by Marie Sebastien—Vollard’s heir.

Ambroise Vollard was an influential French art dealer, publisher, and art collector who introduced the world to the talents of artists such as Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, and Henri Matisse. He was renowned for his keen market sense and for commissioning unique portfolios of prints, ordering them directly from leading Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. Between 1900 and 1910, Vollard persuaded the aging Renoir, who was suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, to create a series of prints (etchings, drypoint, and lithographs). The title of this particular work is *Femme nue couchée (tournée à droite)*, dating from around 1906. The unusual anatomy and proportions in this image are the result of several factors: A shift toward a “monumental” style: In his late period, Renoir moved away from delicate, detailed Impressionism. Instead, he became fascinated by classical art, sculpture, and finishes reminiscent of ancient friezes. He wanted the women’s bodies to look like powerful, timeless sculptures fused with nature—which is why the nose, arms, and legs are so massive, and the body seems almost exaggerated. Due to his contracted hands, the artist had difficulty rendering fine anatomical details, and working in hard metal was exceptionally physically demanding for the ailing artist.
The copper plate engraved by Renoir was acquired by Vollard and became his property. In 1919, Ambroise Vollard published a book on Renoir’s life and work. *La Vie et Oeuvre de Pierre Auguste Renoir*. The book was printed in a limited edition of 1,000 pieces. After World War II, only six pieces of the book remained from the original thousand. In 1986, Vollard’s heirs discovered the copper plates in the basement of a country house on the outskirts of Paris and decided to create the Ambroise Vollard Collection and make the prints available in a new edition for the first time since 1919. According to the certificate, each etching was hand-printed.
The original painting is housed at the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo.