Q104445386

Also dated to 1897 and also held in the Dutuit collection at the Petit Palais, this second canvas from the same year as Q104445383 suggests a concentrated engagement between Cormon and the Dutuit collectors in 1897, or the acquisition of related works at the same time. Having two canvases from the same year by the same artist enter a single private collection simultaneously implies either a pair or series, or an exceptional confidence in the artist's consistent quality that led to multiple purchases. By 1897 Cormon had the reputation and the institutional connections that would make such a collecting decision natural for a discerning Parisian collector. The subjects of these two 1897 Dutuit canvases, if related, might shed light on what aspect of his work the Dutuits most valued — whether his history painting, his portraiture, or his figure work.

The second 1897 Dutuit canvas shows Cormon's technique in an identical phase to its companion: consolidated, deliberate, and aligned with the collection's demand for formal resolution. If the works are paired, their technical approach would show calculated harmony — shared palette references, compatible compositional formats, consistent surface quality.