PROVENANCE:
Galerie Flechtheim, Berlin & Düsseldorf
Galerie Paul Rosenberg, Paris
Durand-Ruel Galleries, New York (acquired by 1931)
Lily Pons, Dallas (sale: Sotheby's, New York, May 26th, 1976, lot 58)
Hilde Gerst Gallery, New York (purchased at the above sale)
Margaret M. Enoch (acquired from the above in December 1976; sale: Christie's, New York, November 7th, 2007, lot 450)
Sotheby’s London, February 5th, 2009, lot 389
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

ILLUSTRATED:
Daniel Marchesseau, Marie Laurencin, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, Tokyo, 1986, vol. I, no. 522

Marie Laurencin was born in Paris, France; she was one of the very few female artists who were able to enjoy the same acknowledgement as male artists such as Braque and Picasso in the twentieth century; her works were also selected to be shown regularly with the Cubists, including at the Salon d’automne, Salon des indépendants and with the “Section d’Or” at the Galérie La Boétie. Laurencin’s works were adored by both the western and eastern collectors. Collection of Laurencin’s artworks can be found in museums from Musée de l'Orangerie, Pompidou Centre in Paris to Marie Laurencin in Tokyo, Japan. Her work is primarily female portraits painted in pastel tones, fashion designer Coco Chanel even commissioned Marie Laurencin to paint her portrait, even though Chanel was not satisfied with the portrait of her seemed rather weak and feminine, the fame of Laurencin was soon spread amongst the elite circles. In 1923, Laurencin was in charge of creating the sets and costumes for the Russian Diaghilev ballet’s production of Les Biches, the success of this tour prompted her to enter the stage design field, and she was given the title of “Les Biches of the Ecole de Paris.”

The “Les enfants du château” was painted in 1930, the maturity of executions and compositions are demonstrated in the painting, four elegant women are painted with soft colors, rounded cheeks coupled with beautiful white complexion, as if the world is as innocent and pure. Such purity of color white is commonly seen in the works of Laurencin, perhaps it is a trace of her past experience in working at the Ecole de Manufacture de Sèvres (a state-run porcelain factory), where she learned to paint on porcelain.

Sever's porcelain is known as the best of quality and is the representative of the European’s finest porcelain production plant. When the paint is applied on the porcelain, vivid colors will become even more refined after burning into glazed finished products. One can certainly feel the translucent glow of the colors, delicate and smooth, exactly as they appear in the works of Laur encin. Laurencin is at the same time a poet, an illustrator, a craftsmen and a talented female painter. Her works of art is loved by the Japanese collectors in the 90s, where the love dedicated to her is formed into a Marie Laurencin Museum located in Shinjuku, Japan.