Paul Elie RANSON (Limoges, 1861 - Paris, 1909) Witch at the river Pen and Indian ink, charcoal Signed 'P. Ranson' lower right Signed with the initials 'P. R.' lower centre No frame Witch by the river, brush pen, indian ink and charcoal, signed, by P. E. Ranson 8.07 x 11.02 in. 20.5 x 28.0 cm Provenance: Gérard Lévy Collection ; Then by descent Leaning over the edge of a river, a naked young woman uses her beater to beat her washing to remove the detergent and dirt. What might appear to be a simple scene from everyday life is tinged here with the esotericism so dear to Paul Ranson. Our washerwoman takes on the appearance of a witch in the midst of occult work, and this is partly due to the bad reputation that the profession sometimes suffered as a result of the many superstitious recommendations made during the big washings. When the washing took place at night, in the moonlight, the assembly of hard-working women did not disdain to empty a few bottles of cider or wine, helping to maintain an aura of legend around their nocturnal work. True to his Nabis principles, Ranson thus played with the traditional iconography of history painters, who multiplied aquatic undines and Narcissus on their canvases. According to Marc-Olivier Bitker, a specialist on the artist, the model represented was probably the Polish actress, journalist and author Gabriela Zapolska, who was close to the Nabis group and lived with Paul Sérusier for two years. In a synthetic treatment borrowed from the Japanese, using only black and white Indian ink and paper, the artist combines her figure with a multitude of animals and symbols. An owl spreads its wings over a dead tree, tadpoles, frogs and hybrid monsters spring from the water on the left, while horse bones litter the ground on the right. All these elements resonate like a symbolist spiritual invitation to shed one's mortifying torments and immerse one's dirty laundry in the clear water of divine mercy. We would like to thank Marc-Olivier Bitker for confirming the authenticity of this work in a visual examination dated 21 November 2024. He suggests dating it to around 1893. Paul Elie RANSON (Limoges, 1861 - Paris, 1909) 20.5 x 28.0 cm Leaning over the edge of a river, a naked young woman uses her beater to beat her washing to get out the detergent and dirt. What might appear to be a simple scene from everyday life is tinged here with an esotericism dear to Paul Ranson. Our washerwoman takes on the appearance of a witch in the midst of occult work, and this is partly due to the bad reputation that the profession sometimes suffered as a result of the many superstitious recommendations made during the big washings. When the washing took place at night, in the moonlight, the assembly of hard-working women did not disdain to empty a few bottles of cider or wine, helping to maintain an aura of legend around their nocturnal work. True to his Nabis principles, Ranson thus played with the traditional iconography of history painters, who multiplied aquatic undines and Narcissus on their canvases. According to Marc-Olivier Bitker, a specialist on the artist, the model represented was probably the Polish actress, journalist and author Gabriela Zapolska, who was close to the Nabis group and lived with Paul Sérusier for two years. In a synthetic treatment borrowed from the Japanese, using only black and white Indian ink and paper, the artist associated her figure with a multitude of animals and symbols. An owl spreads its wings over a dead tree, tadpoles, frogs and hybrid monsters spring from the water on the left, while horse bones litter the ground on the right. All these elements resonate like a symbolist spiritual invitation to shed one's mortifying torments and immerse one's dirty laundry in the clear water of divine mercy. We would like to thank Marc-Olivier Bitker for confirming the authenticity of this work in a visual examination dated 21 November 2024. He suggests dating it to around 1893.