L13220

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Lot 64
  • 64

A Reclining Nude, Persia, Safavid, Isfahan, circa 1620-40

Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 GBP
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Description

  • watercolour on paper
Gouache heightened with gold on paper, depicting a reclining partially nude figure holding a bottle in her right hand, a loose robe wrapped around her waist, laid down on an album page with panels of calligraphy above and below, a blue border flecked with gold, outer margins filled with leafy scrolling vegetation, reverse with musuem label and pencil notes

Provenance

Ex-collection Charles Kelekian

Exhibited

Exhibited at the Baltimore Museum of Art, MD, mid-20th century (label on reverse)

Condition

In fair overall condition, some cracquelure, some paint loss to the lower right of the seat, colours bright, rubbed, as viewed.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

inscriptions

The lower Persian couplet is a ghazal of Hafiz.

Certain features of this sensitively-executed drawing, including the crossed feet, loose fitting revealing garb and languid pose, recall the European print of Cleopatra by Marcantonio Raimondi, after an original painting by Raphael (see S.C. Welch and K. Masteller, From Mind, Heart, and Hand, Cambridge, MA, 2004, p.58, fig.9.1). Another related drawing, attributed to Aqa Reza (Reza-i 'Abbasi) was in the collection of Stuart Cary Welch (sold in these rooms 7 April 1975, lot 40), who noted that "Venetian traders travelled to Iran throughout the sixteenth century, and we can assume that prints were included in the commodities for which they found a market in Tabriz and Qazvin, presumably in exchange for raw silk" (ibid, p.56).

A further comparative drawing was sold in these rooms, 7 April 1975, lot 57.