How Much Is The Skiff (La Yole) Worth?

Painted in 1875, The Skiff (La Yole) epitomizes Renoir’s prime Impressionist practice—luminous color, vibrant brushwork, and a quintessential modern-leisure motif on the Seine. It is a frequently illustrated, widely recognized composition that appears in core discussions of the artist’s 1870s period, when he produced many of his most celebrated masterpieces. While not as universally renowned as Bal du moulin de la Galette, it sits near the top tier of Renoir’s oeuvre in subject and date, bridging key themes (light, water, contemporaneity) that collectors prize. The painting’s art-historical weight ensures global cross-category appeal and a robust competitive auction dynamic, particularly among museums and top private collectors focused on Impressionist benchmarks.

Mid-1870s Renoir is the market’s sweet spot, and boating/leisure scenes on the Seine are among his most sought-after subjects. This picture offers the immediacy and modernity collectors associate with Impressionism’s breakthrough decade: open-air color, dynamic handling, and a compelling depiction of middle-class leisure. The river setting connects it to the era’s defining narratives and to famous peers (e.g., Monet’s Argenteuil cycle), situating it in a coveted cross-current of subject, date, and style. The enduring popularity of Renoir’s leisure imagery bolsters demand beyond traditional Impressionist buyers, supporting a valuation premium over equally fine but less iconic subjects like later domestic scenes, garden portraits, or still lifes.

The Skiff’s provenance—Victor Chocquet (a key early champion), Bernheim-Jeune (preeminent dealer), Samuel Courtauld (transformative British collector), and ultimately the National Gallery—confers exceptional credibility and prestige. Works that have passed through this caliber of stewardship carry reduced transactional risk and amplified desirability. Its long-term institutional housing, documentation, and exhibition history provide scholarly validation and public recognition that typically translate into stronger auction performance. While the painting is not for sale, this provenance profile would be a powerful accelerant in any hypothetical deaccession or private sale scenario, increasing the likelihood of multiple third-party guarantees and top-tier competitive bidding.

Recent Renoir sales show steady performance for quality works, with eight-figure outcomes reserved for superior subjects and freshness. A Baigneuse brought $10.41 million in 2025 and a prime-date still life achieved £6.88 million in 2024—healthy but a different echelon from a canonical 1875 Seine-leisure scene. Renoir’s all-time auction peak of $78.1 million (1990) sets a durable benchmark, with present-day taste placing Monet above Renoir, tempering probabilities of a nine-figure Renoir absent a universally iconic masterpiece. Given scarcity of comparable mid-1870s leisure pictures in private hands, liquidity for The Skiff would be strong, justifying a $55–90 million band under current top-end Impressionist demand.