Henri Matisse

Estate of the artist
Emmanuel Javogue Fine Arts, Miami
Sale: Christie's, New York, November 4, 2004, lot 170
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Very good condition. Not Laid down. Hinged with tape near the top two corners. Numbered 28 in pencil at lower left corner.There are two tiny nicks to the paper along the left edge. There are three deckle edges, excluding the lower edge. The extreme edges of the work show occasional very slight soiling. Otherwise the line is very strong and the sheet is very fresh.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Matisse established a permanent residence in the Place Charles Félix in Nice in 1921. Attracted to the rich atmosphere of this coastal town, the artist spent much of the subsequent decade here, producing some of the most iconic works of his career.  Though images of the resort town and ocean beyond are occasionally visible in these works, often through an open window, Matisse usually chose to portray his models indoors. The intimacy of this arrangement allowed the artist to focus on the human form, depicting a number of female models who sat for him. Nu allonge ornamental is a sensual example of Matisse's drawings of nudes, and displays Matisse's singular ability to capture his model in a natural, casual pose, while at the same time depicting her with a great sense of elegance and grace.

Executed in Nice in 1927, the present work beautifully exemplifies Matisse's focus on ornamentation and design. John Elderfield writes, "Compared to the ink drawings of the early 1920s, the new ink drawings tend, by and large, to eschew shading, and when it appears, it usually does so to produce areas of decorative pattern rather than to model in the round. Line alone gives weight to figures and participates in the ornamentation provided by the similarly arabesque treatment of the setting. The sheet is often filled right out to the edges to form a single unit within which the identities of the figures are obscured. In drawings of this kind, the decorative function of the figure subsumes its human identity" (The Drawings of Henri Matisse, New York, 1984, p. 90).

Fig. 1 Matisse drawing a model at no. 1, place Charles-Félix, Nice, c. 1927-28