This spirited sketch is a study for Sorolla’s portrait of the French stage actor Ernest Coquelin Cadet, one of several portraits the artist painted en plein air during his stay in Paris in 1906 on the occasion of his solo exhibition at Georges Petit’s gallery. Cadet sat for Sorolla in July in the garden of Mrs. Debarsac, a citarist, at 85 rue de la Pompe. The following year, Cadet was admitted to a nursing home where died in February 1909.

Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida, Portrait of The French Actor Ernest Coquelin Cadet, 1906. Oil on canvas, 34 ½ by 37 ¾ in.; 88 by 96 cm. Private collects ion (sold Replica Shoes ’s, London, 22 November 1989, lot 133).
Anders Zorn, Coquelin Cadet, 1889. Oil on canvas, 116.5 x 81.5 cm. Nationalmuseum Stockholm, NM 6766.

The Swedish artist Anders Zorn painted Cadet’s portrait earlier in the actor’s career, where he is seen in cost.mes on stage.

We are grateful to Blanca Pons-Sorolla for confirming the authenticity and assisting with the cataloging of this work, which will be included in the forthcoming revised edition of the catalogue raisonné.