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

Catalogue entry

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Photo: Archives; © FdDPS
Series
Series: Rollinat
Keywords
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Classification: Painting
Theme: landscape
Medium: Oil
Support: On ?
Year: 1923
PS 235
La Folle
Alternate titles: De dwaas; La Folle
Before 1923
Oil on ?
Neither signed, nor dated
Present whereabouts unknown
Inventories
Donation Berendina Hubscher, 20-06-1952, (attestation 03-09-1953), n.p., s.n. private archives: no. s.n.: A Monsieur Richard Yardumian: Vieux Château sur une hauteur, figure de femme au premier plan [ms: Exchanged with Mr. Pitcairn for the latter's Triptych 'The Legend of a Vagabond' ].
Provenance
Berendina Urban
Richard Yardumian (donation from the above in 1952)
Theodore Pitcairn (in exchange for the triptych "Legend of a Vagabond")
No trace since 1953
Exhibitions
1923 Sparren
Atelier 'de Sparren', Laren, Netherlands, Philippe Smit, Laatste Werken, October 01–08, 1923, ?, as La Folle (see Niehaus 1923).
Literature & Primary Sources
Niehaus 1923
Niehaus, Kasper. "Philippe Smit, 'De Sparren', Laren." De Telegraaf (Amsterdam), 04-10-1923, p. 6, as La Folle.
Niehaus 1924a
Niehaus, Kasper. "Schilderkunst, Philippe Smit." Maandblad voor beeldende kunsten Eerste Jaargang, n°11 (11/1924), p. 327, as De dwaas.
Notes

Work also known from an unofficial document: "Castle on a Hill, Figure of a Woman in the Foreground (the Madwoman)"1 and from the article by Kasper Niehaus of 1924: "The Fool who lost her memory and roams around a high hill, covered with ferns, on which stands an old ruinous castle, forlorn in a gloomy sky; […]"2.

It is higly likely that the theme is based on the poem La Folle, of the vollume La Nature by Maurice Rollinat.3

1. "Vieux château sur une hauteur, figure de femme au premier plan (La Folle)" (private archives, Paris).
2. "[...] De dwaas die haar herinnering verloren heeft en dwaalt om een hoogen, varen-begroeiden heuvel, waarop een oud en bouwvallig kasteel eenzaam in de sombere lucht staat; [...]".
3. Maurice Rollinat, La Nature, Paris: G. Charpentier et E. Fasquelle, 1882, p. 328-329.

Record last updated April 25, 2017. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Narzt, Andreas and Castellani, Florence. "La Folle, Before 1923 (PS 235)." In The Complete Works of Philippe Smit. www.philippesmit.com/catalogue/entry.php?id=235 (accessed on May 10, 2025).