The Mischievous One

1899

William-Adolphe Bouguereau French, 1825-1905

On View

Era of Revolution, Level 3, South Wing

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About the Artwork

William-Adolphe Bouguereau often painted young children, almost invariably girls, as peasants dressed in timeless rural attire. With an impish smile, a barefoot girl in a simple white blouse, creamy bodice, and blue skirt stands with her hands on hips against an ill-defined wooded landscape. While Bouguereau does not provide any clue about the place or time of this idealized scene, the image of the mischievous child is specific and emotionally sensitive.

Bouguereau painted this work in his studio in La Rochelle, a seaport on France’s west coast where he spent summers from 1893. The portrayed child is Yvonne, a local peasant girl who was one of Bouguereau’s favorite models. She appears in several other paintings, including On the Shore (Two Sisters) at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Title The Mischievous One

Artwork Date 1899

Artist William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Life Dates 1825-1905

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. French

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Oil on canvas

Dimensions Unframed: 52 1/2 × 28 1/2 inches (133.4 × 72.4 cm) Framed: 65 × 40 inches (165.1 × 101.6 cm)

Classification Paintings

Department European Modern Art to 1970

Credit Gift of Nancy Bacon in memory of Conley Charles Bacon

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 2018.208

Markings

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Provenance

November 30, 1899, sold by the artist to (Arthur Tooth & Sons, London, England).
after 1899, Private collection.
August 1967, acquired from a Philadelphia entity by (Hammer Galleries, New York, New York, USA).
1983, John Mulcahy (Ashford Castle, Cong, Ireland).
1985, (Borghi Gallery, New York, New York, USA);
April 1985, sold to Conley Charles and Nancy Bacon (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA);
2019-present, partial gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

For more information on provenance, please visit:

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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Published References

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We regularly update our object record as new research and findings emerge, and we welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

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Catalogue Raisoneé

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Credit Line for Reproduction

William-Adolphe Bouguereau, The Mischievous One, 1899, oil on canvas. Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of Nancy Bacon in memory of Conley Charles Bacon, 2018.208.