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The Complete Works of Philippe Smit
by Andreas Narzt and Florence Castellani
Catalogue entry
PS 491
Corner in the Living Room at Pau
1941–43
Pastel on cardboard
21 1/8 x 17 1/2 in. (53.5 x 44.5 cm) (sight size)
Signed lower right: Philippe Smit
Private collection, France
Inventories
Inv. Lotty Urban-Leteneur, n.d. [ante 1953], s.n., private archives: no. [57]: p. 2, Pastels: Petit coin à Pau.
Inv. Leteneur, n.d. [1977], n.p., s.n., private archives: no. [04]: p. [1], salon: Smit Philippe - 'Coin du salon de Pau'/ Pastel signé en bas à droite', 53 x 45 [cm].
Provenance
Lotty Urban-Leteneur
Florence Leteneur (by descent)
Anne de Fouchier, France (gift from the above in 2023)
Private collection, France (by descent since 2025)
Exhibitions
No known exhibitions.
Literature & Primary Sources
No known published references.
Notes
Family tradition places this interior in Pau, where the artist stayed with Berendina during the German occupation in the Second World War, remaining there until June 1943, when they were authorized to return to their home in Thoury-Ferrottes. Hanging on the right-hand wall is the pastel Marijke, Child II [PS 153]. To its left appears a Crucifixion, today attributed to the workshop of El Greco, whose presence in this interior attests to its location there during the war.
The painting had been given as a wedding gift by Theodore Pitcairn to Lotty Urban, who married Henri Tambuté in 1939 and spent the first years of the war in Pau with her mother and Philippe Smit.1 After her divorce in 1949, the work—then still believed to be an autograph painting by El Greco—returned to Pitcairn.
In 1966 the painting was offered for sale at Christie’s in London by the church he had founded, The Lord’s New Church.2 It subsequently reappeared on the market, again at Christie’s, in 1976 and in 1986 (fig.1).
The painting had been given as a wedding gift by Theodore Pitcairn to Lotty Urban, who married Henri Tambuté in 1939 and spent the first years of the war in Pau with her mother and Philippe Smit.1 After her divorce in 1949, the work—then still believed to be an autograph painting by El Greco—returned to Pitcairn.
In 1966 the painting was offered for sale at Christie’s in London by the church he had founded, The Lord’s New Church.2 It subsequently reappeared on the market, again at Christie’s, in 1976 and in 1986 (fig.1).
1. See Chronolgie 1940-1948.
2. Christie, Manson & Woods, London, Important Pictures by Old Masters, 1 July 1966, lot 45, Christ on the Cross, with a View of Toledo, The Property of The Lord's New Church of Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
Record last updated March 18, 2026. Please note that the information on this and all pages is periodically reviewed and subject to change.
Citation: Narzt, Andreas and Castellani, Florence. "Corner in the Living Room at Pau, 1941–43 (PS 491)." In The Complete Works of Philippe Smit. www.philippesmit.com/catalogue/entry.php?id=491 (accessed on April 29, 2026).