Henri Matisse

Knoedler Gallery, New York

Acquired from the above by the family of the present owner circa 1945-50

Lydia Delectorskaya, With apparent ease... Henri Matisse, Paintings from 1935-1939, Paris, 1988, illustrated p. 181

Guy Patrice & Michel Dauberville, Matisse, vol. II, Paris, 1995, no. 719, illustrated p. 1330

Under ultra-violet light, there are tiny, slightly discolored retouchings behind the figure's head. Otherwise, this work is in very good condition. Colors: The colors in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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Matisse's works of the 1930s are largely devoted to the subject of a female figure in an interior setting.  Two Russian women are the most frequent subjects of these portraits: Hélène Galitzine and the artist's muse Lydia Delectorskaya.  Lydia (1908-1998) met Matisse in late 1932 and became his studio assistant while he was working on a commission for the Barnes Foundation.  In the following year she was hired as a companion to the ailing Madame Matisse.  In 1935 Lydia began consistently posing for Matisse, and the present work is one of the intimate oil paintings of her that Matisse completed during their nearly twenty year collaboration, until his death in 1954.  Constantly present in Matisse's studio, Delectorskaya recorded the artist at work in her 1986 publication Henri Matisse ... l'apparente facilité... .

Lydia was well-ensconced in Matisse's daily life by the time he painted this intimate portrait in 1936.  With her blonde hair and sharp features, she is clearly the model for this work and she wears one of the Eastern-European peasant shirts which Matisse depicted in several other compositions during this period.