On the Bank of the Seine, Bennecourt

The artwork

It is the only painting left from the days Monet spent on the Seine with Camille, the woman who would become his wife two years later, and beneath the paint it still hides a child. You receive it printed on handmade Amalfi paper, in a handmade frame.

• Camille in the shade of a large tree, a boat on the bank and the village reflected in the water.
• Fresh greens, blues and whites for a bright room.
• A gift for anyone who loves rivers and the countryside.

In 1868 Monet was looking for an inexpensive place in the country. His friend the writer Émile Zola suggested Gloton, a hamlet next to Bennecourt, on the Seine north-west of Paris: it was cheap and easy to reach. Monet went there with Camille Doncieux and their baby, Jean, born the year before.

Camille sits on an island in the middle of the river, looking at the houses of Gloton on the other bank; the boat beside her suggests they rowed there. Beneath the paint you can still see traces of a first version, in which Camille held a child in a bonnet, probably Jean. Then Monet painted over him. The original is in the Art Institute of Chicago, in the United States.

In a living room or a bedroom it brings the peace of an afternoon by the river. It is a gift for a couple, or for anyone with a memory tied to water and the countryside.

Unique quality material

Print on handmade Amalfi paper
Sheet size: 29 x 42 cm (11.4 x 16.5 in)
With frame: 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in)
Material: artwork printed on very fine handmade Amalfi paper with deckled edges
Frame: dark brown with gold fillet, handmade, with glass