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The Complete Works of Philippe Smit
by Andreas Narzt and Florence Castellani

Catalogue entry

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Photo: Christopher Burke Studios, NY; © FdDPS
Additional images
Original frame designed and painted by the artist.
Original frame designed and painted by the artist.
Photo: Christopher Burke Studios, NY; © FdDPS
Series
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Series
Series: Rollinat
Keywords
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Classification: Painting
Theme: figurative
Medium: Oil
Support: On canvas
Year: 1920
PS 217 (P 127; LNC 138)
L'âme de la rivière (The Soul of the River)
Alternate titles: De ziel der rivier; L'Ame de la Rivière
c.1920
Oil on canvas
84 11/16 x 76 13/16 in. (215 x 195 cm)
Neither signed, nor dated; titled on the frame lower center: L'ÂME DE LA RIVIÈRE
On the back: two metal plates: Pitcairn and 127 on the frame lower left.
The Lord's New Church, Bryn Athyn, PA
Inventories
Inv. Les Pleignes, P. Damidot, 1938, LNC archives: no. P 127: p. 10, petit salon, Grand tableau par Philippe Smit./ L'Ame de la rivière. 10.000 [FRF].
Inv. Pitcairn, n.d. [c.1957], n.p., LNC archives: no. P 127 F: Rev. Theodore Pitcairn, The Soul of the River, Smit, Oil, 83 x 75 [in.].
Inv. LNC, 1984, updated Oct. 1998, LNC archives: no. P 127: p. 2, The Church Hall - Art Gallery, Soul of the River, Oil, 83 x 75 [in.].
Provenance
Theodore Pitcairn
The Lord's New Church, Bryn Athyn, PA (donation from the above)
Exhibitions
1948 Maurs
Galerie Pierre Maurs, Paris, Peinture et Pastels de Philippe Smit, February 04, 1948, no. 81, as L'Ame de la Rivière, 1920 (CP).
Literature & Primary Sources
Niehaus 1924b
Niehaus, Kasper. "Nieuwe Werken van Philippe Smit." De Telegraaf (Amsterdam), 14-12-1924, p. 4 ill. in b/w, p. 9, as De ziel der rivier.
Niehaus 1937
Niehaus, Kasper. "Philippe Smit." Elsevier's Geïllustreerd Maandschrift Jaargang 47, n° 93 (1937 januari-juli), p. 238, as L'Ame de la Rivière.
Niehaus 1942
Niehaus, Kasper. Levende Nederlandsche Kunst. Amsterdam: Bigot & Van Rossum, 1942, p. 205, as L'Ame de la Rivière.
Notes

Marijke served as model for this composition inspired by the last verses "On voit entre les nénuphars, moitié rouges, moitié blafards, flotter l’âme de la rivière." of the poem Au Crépuscule from the volume La Nature by Maurice Rollinat.1

1. Maurice Rollinat, La Nature, Paris: G. Charpentier et E. Fasquelle, 1882, p. 168.

Additional images
Philippe Smit sitting in his studio, most probably the one in Laren, behind him the left part of the painting is visible, to his right the sculpture of the painting [PS 294] and Ode de Chopin [PS 245] (old photograph, private archives, Paris).
Philippe Smit sitting in his studio, most probably the one in Laren, behind him the left part of the painting is visible, to his right the sculpture of the painting [PS 294] and Ode de Chopin [PS 245] (old photograph, private archives, Paris).
Record last updated May 12, 2017. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Narzt, Andreas and Castellani, Florence. "L'âme de la rivière (The Soul of the River), c.1920 (PS 217)." In The Complete Works of Philippe Smit. www.philippesmit.com/catalogue/entry.php?id=217 (accessed on May 10, 2025).