Charlotte de ROTHSCHILD (Paris, 1825 – 1899) Two young girls at the foot of an olive tree on a Mediterranean shore Watercolour over pencil sketch Signed ‘C de Rothschild’ in the lower left-hand corner (Scratches and foxing) Two young girls at the foot of an olive tree on a Mediterranean shore, watercolour on pencil, signed by C. de Rothschild 14.17 x 20.47 in. 36 x 52 cm Provenance: Private European collection Whilst Charlotte de Rothschild is primarily associated with her role as a major collector of 18th-century European paintings, she was also a recognised artist, particularly for her sumptuous watercolour landscapes. Immersed from her earliest childhood in a remarkable cultural environment, she frequented numerous artists and trained in the art of painting under Hercule Trachel, Nélie Jacquemart and Eugène Lami, with whom she founded the Société des aquarellistes français in 1879. During the many trips she undertook to Italy to perfect her art, she succeeded in capturing on paper the Mediterranean light of the landscapes she travelled through. These works were exhibited notably in Paris, at the 1864 Salon, as well as in London in 1879. Her grandson, Henri de Rothschild, admired his grandmother as much for her remarkable cultural knowledge as for her talents as a painter. Charlotte de ROTHSCHILD (Paris, 1825 – 1899) 36 x 52 cm