Eugène BOUDIN (Honfleur, 1824 – Deauville, 1898) The Parasol Oil on panel Signed with the initials ‘E.B.’ in the lower left-hand corner In a carved and gilded oak frame, French work from the Louis XIII period The Parasol, oil on panel, signed by E. Boudin 6.29 x 1.52 in. 16 x 11.5 cm Provenance: Galerie J. Dubourg, Paris; A. Tooth & Sons, London; Alfred Daber Collection, Paris; Private European collection Exhibitions: Eugène Boudin, Paris, Galerie Raphaël Gérard, April 1937, no. 9091 (according to a label on the reverse) Bibliography: Robert Schmidt, Eugène Boudin 1824–1898, Catalogue raisonné, Paris, 1973, vol. II, p. 192, no. 1794, ill.  With a keen interest in the work of contemporary painters, Charlotte de Rothschild collected sketches, drawings and watercolours by artists she admired, such as Eugène Lambert, Martin Rico and Jules Jacquemart. She later developed an interest in plein air painting through the purchase of works by Charles-François Daubigny and Eugène Boudin. On the advice of Léon Gauchez, Charlotte de Rothschild purchased four views of the port of Dunkirk in 1890. It is in this context that this work by Boudin, acquired by Charlotte’s descendants, finds its place. Our charming panel, painted around 1883–1887, may depict the beach at Trouville bustling with high society. Through his depiction of young women in crinolines, Boudin evokes the holiday resorts frequented by aristocratic families on the beaches of Normandy in the late 19th century. Eugène BOUDIN (Honfleur, 1824 – Deauville, 1898) 16 x 11.5 cm