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The Complete Works of Philippe Smit
by Andreas Narzt and Florence Castellani
Catalogue entry
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Photo: Jamie C. Sloane; © FdDPS
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Series: Rollinat
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PS 239 (P 240; LNC 185)
Le manoir du songe (The Manor of Dreams)
Alternate titles: De woning van den droom; Die Wohnung des Traumes; Le manoir du songe; Manoir du songe
1923
Oil on canvas
72 7/8 x 89 in. (185 x 226 cm)
Signed and dated lower right: Philippe Smit/ 1923 and titled on the frame lower center: Le Manoir du Songe
On the back: a metal plate: Lottie Urban on the frame lower left.
Inventories
Inv. Lotty Urban-Leteneur, n.d. [ante 1953], s.n., private archives: no. [06]: p. [1], Toiles: Le Manoir.
Inv. Pitcairn, n.d. [c.1957], n.p., LNC archives: no. P 240: Rev. Theodore Pitcairn, The Manor of Dreams, Smit, Oil, Leteneur Home, Provins S. & M. [Seine et Marne], France
* This painting was donated to Rev. Theodore Pitcairn by Mrs. Letteneur [sic] but can only be taken possession of after death of Mrs. Smit (See deed in office).
* This painting was donated to Rev. Theodore Pitcairn by Mrs. Letteneur [sic] but can only be taken possession of after death of Mrs. Smit (See deed in office).
Inv. LNC, 1984, updated Oct. 1998, LNC archives: no. P 240: p. 2 The Church Hall - Art Gallery, Manor of Dreams, Oil, 72 x 90 [in.].
Provenance
Lotty Urban-Leteneur
Berendina Hubscher (usufruct donation from the above in 1957)
Theodore Pitcairn (donation of bare ownership from Lotty Urban-Leteneur in 1957 and full ownership after Berendina's death)
The Lord's New Church, Bryn Athyn, PA (donation from the above; until February 2025, on loan at the Gallery at 409, Point Pleasant, WV)
Exhibitions
1923 Sparren
Atelier 'de Sparren', Laren, Netherlands, Philippe Smit, Laatste Werken, October 01–08, 1923, ?, as Le manoir du songe (see Niehaus 1923).Literature & Primary Sources
Niehaus 1923
Niehaus, Kasper. "Philippe Smit, 'De Sparren', Laren." De Telegraaf (Amsterdam), 04-10-1923, p. 6, as Manoir du songe.Niehaus 1924a
Niehaus, Kasper. "Schilderkunst, Philippe Smit." Maandblad voor beeldende kunsten Eerste Jaargang, n°11 (11/1924), p. 325-326, ill. p. 322, as De woning van den droom.Niehaus 1937
Niehaus, Kasper. "Philippe Smit." Elsevier's Geïllustreerd Maandschrift Jaargang 47, n° 93 (1937 januari-juli), p. 232-233, as Le manoir du songe.Niehaus 1942
Niehaus, Kasper. Levende Nederlandsche Kunst. Amsterdam: Bigot & Van Rossum, 1942, p. 205, as Le manoir du songe.Vollmer 1953
Vollmer, H. Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler des XX. Jahrhunderts. Leipzig: E. A. Seemann, 1953-1962, p. 303, as Die Wohnung des Traumes.Niehaus 1955
Niehaus, Kasper. Philippe Smit, unkown genius. Revised and edited by Marjorie Bell. Typescript, 1955, p. 17, as Le manoir du songe.Notes
À quoi pense la Nuit, quand l'âme des marais
Monte dans les airs blancs sur tant de voix étranges,
Et qu'avec des sanglots qui font pleurer les anges
These first three verses of the poem À quoi pense la nuit, of the volume Paysages et Paysans by Maurice Rollinat,1 appear on the left page of the open book in front of the angel.
On the right-hand page are the following verses freely inspired by Mallarmé's poem Sainte:
Une harpe frôlée par l’ange
D’un mélodieux goutte à goutte de larmes
Tombant une à une dans l’admiration du silence
Le plus mélancolique des lamentos.
1. Maurice Rollinat, Paysages et Paysans, Paris: E. Fasquelle, 1899, p. 12.
Record last updated March 16, 2025. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Narzt, Andreas and Castellani, Florence. "Le manoir du songe (The Manor of Dreams), 1923 (PS 239)." In The Complete Works of Philippe Smit. www.philippesmit.com/catalogue/entry.php?id=239 (accessed on May 10, 2025).