Woman with a Parasol Auction History

Painted in 1875 and shown in 1876 as Promenade, the work passed from Monet to Dr. Georges de Bellio, Paris (1876). By inheritance it went to M. and Mme Ernest Donop de Monchy (Victorine de Bellio), Paris, at least through 1897 [1]. Possibly with Paul Rosenberg & Co. in the 1910s (unconfirmed in NGA files) [1]. By 1924 it was owned by Georges Menier, Paris, who lent it to a collectors’ exhibition that year [1]. On 15 June 1965 it was sold in the Menier sale at Palais Galliera, Paris (lot 121), where dealer Hector Brame bought it for Paul Mellon [1][2]. In 1983, Mellon gifted the painting to the National Gallery of Art, Washington (accession 1983.1.29) [1].

Woman with a Parasol (1875) is an emblem of Monet’s Argenteuil years and was shown as Promenade in the Second Impressionist Exhibition of 1876, anchoring its early critical history [1]. Its early ownership by Dr. Georges de Bellio—Monet’s friend and physician—followed by descent to the Donop de Monchy family, establishes a well-documented chain prior to its 20th‑century residence in the collection of Georges Menier [1]. The painting’s only documented public auction occurred at the Menier sale, Palais Galliera, Paris, on 15 June 1965 (lot 121), when dealer Hector Brame acquired it on behalf of Paul Mellon; no price has been published in the NGA record or corroborating sources [1][2]. Mellon’s 1983 gift to the National Gallery of Art removed the work from market circulation and placed it among the most visible examples of early Impressionism in a U.S. museum [1].

While the 1965 sale does not appear to have set a record, the painting’s importance today is art-historical and institutional: it is a signature, exhibition‑proven work from a scarce category of early figure‑in‑landscape Monets that are now largely museum-held [1]. By contrast, Monet’s highest auction prices have centered on the Haystacks and Water Lilies series, including Meules at $110.7m (Sotheby’s, 2019), Le bassin aux nymphéas at $74m (Christie’s, 2023), and a Nymphéas at $65.5m (Sotheby’s, 2024) [3][4][5]. These benchmarks underline sustained demand for top‑tier Monets but are not directly tied to the 1965 sale of this work.

For collectors and scholars, the significance of Woman with a Parasol lies in its unbroken provenance from the artist’s circle through a prominent French collection to Paul Mellon, and its status as a cornerstone of the National Gallery’s Impressionist holdings. With the painting now off the market, its influence resides in exhibitions, scholarship, and its role as a touchstone of Monet’s early modern vision rather than in current price formation [1][2][3][4][5].