A rare and intimate portrait by French Impressionist Auguste Renoir is set to go under the hammer in Paris next month. The artwork, titled L’enfant et ses jouets – Gabrielle et le fils de l’artiste, Jean (“The Child and His Toys – Gabrielle and the artist’s son, Jean”), will be auctioned on November 25 at Drouot, one of France’s most renowned auction houses.
Valued between $1 million and $1.5 million, the oil painting captures a tender domestic moment between Renoir’s young son, Jean, and his devoted nanny, Gabrielle Renard.
Experts believe the piece was painted between 1890 and 1895, during a period when Renoir increasingly turned toward family-centered subjects that reflected warmth and affection rather than the bustling scenes of Parisian life for which he first gained fame.
In the painting, Jean, who would later become one of France’s most celebrated filmmakers, is depicted as a toddler sitting on Gabrielle’s lap, playing with toy figurines. The soft brushstrokes and luminous palette exemplify Renoir’s late Impressionist style, which favored intimacy and emotion over precision.
Jean Renoir, born in 1894, went on to make an indelible mark on world cinema. Best known for films such as Grand Illusion (1937) and The Rules of the Game (1939), he earned an honorary Academy Award in 1975 for his lifelong contribution to filmmaking.
Gabrielle Renard, who began working for Renoir’s wife at just 16, became both a caretaker and muse. She appeared in nearly 200 of the artist’s paintings, often embodying maternal tenderness and serenity. Renoir once described her as part of the family, and her presence influenced both his art and Jean’s later creative sensibilities.
According to Drouot, the painting belonged to Jean Renoir’s godmother, Jeanne Baudot, a painter herself and a close friend of the Renoir family. Passed down through generations, the artwork resurfaced only recently, making this auction a significant event for art historians and collectors alike.
“This portrait is more than an artwork—it’s a piece of Renoir family history,” said a Drouot spokesperson. “It reveals the deep affection between Renoir’s household members and provides insight into his private life at the height of his artistic maturity.”
The sale adds to the growing interest in rediscovered Impressionist works that highlight personal connections rather than public commissions. As art markets continue to favor works with documented provenance and emotional resonance, experts predict that this Renoir painting could exceed its estimated value when it goes under the hammer next month.
The auction will take place in Paris on November 25, and art lovers from around the world are expected to follow the sale closely. For Renoir enthusiasts, the event represents not only a rare opportunity to acquire a previously unlisted masterpiece but also a chance to reconnect with one of Impressionism’s most human stories.