‘The Doles of Montreuil’ by Eyre Crowe A.R.A. (1901). Reproduction from Royal Academy Pictures, 1901, p. 139
Medium: oil
Size: 39 x 59 inches
Exhibited: Royal Academy, 1901
Owner: Private owner in Belgium
Original caption: ‘I could afford nothing for the rest but “Dieu vous bénisse; et le bon Dieu vous bénisse encore”, said the old soldier, the dwarf, etc’ – Sterne
This painting was one of those remaining in Eyre Crowe’s possession at his death, and was sold for £7 7s at an auction of his remaining works at Christie’s in London on 18 March 1911. The subject matter seems to be taken from Laurence Sterne’s 1768 novel ‘A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy’.
It was sold at auction in Liege, Belgium, in the 1960s and remains privately owned.
The two female figures on the right hand side are the same as those featured in Three Figure Studies (19 April 1901 and n.d.). Medium: charcoal and pencil heightened with white. Size: largest 47 x 22 cm. Offered by Bellmans Auctioneers and Valuers, Billingshurst, West Sussex, 5 March 2018 (Lot 1071). Sold by Chiswick Auctions, 6 March 2019 (Lot 124), for £50.
Eyre Crowe (1824-1910) 