Élisabeth Sonrel was the daughter of the painter Stéphane Sonrel, who was based in Tours, and who likely initiated his daughter’s interest in art. In 1891, aged seventeen, Sonrel moved to Paris in search of more advanced artistic training, and studied at one of the few private art schools, the Académie Julian, which had accepted women since 1880. There, she studied with the well-respected painter Jules Lefebvre (1836–1911), who had trained Fernand Khnopff (1858-1921) and Félix Vallotton (1865-1925). Following her training, and at the young age of nineteen Sonrel exhibited at the prestigious Salon des Artistes; she continued to exhibit at the Salon regularly between 1893-1939.
The present lot is likely an early work by the artist, at a time when she was experimenting with similar formats, and illustrations - a genre which she moved away from in her mature work. The work is painted on marbled paper - an unusual and intriguing medium recalling both Mughal 16th century pictures and the marbled covers and end-papers of expensively produced 19th century illustrated books. Sonrel intertwines the pattern of the paper with her composition, which is evocative of horror vacui. In the present lot we can also see Sonrel’s interest in Symbolist art and Mysticism, through the inclusion of a non-naturalistic subject matter and colour palette, which is typical of the genre.
Despite a clear sense of narrative, it is unclear as to exactly what the scene depicts. Noticeably, it features characters from a variety of different cultures, gathered around a woman riding a horse, and at the base of the work there are intricate daisies growing from the soil. It is possible that this is an interpretation of one of the stories told in One Thousand and One Nights (also known as Arabian nights) story-telling and fantastical subject matter, far removed from realism.