Julien Dillens

Sotheby's London, 2 June 2009, lot 53

Overall the condition of the marble is very good with minor dirt and wear consistent with age. The marble retains its original beautifully worked skin. The proper left index finger is reattached and a joint is slightly visible. There are a few small naturally occurring inclusions, including one to the proper left arm and another in the proper right ankle. There is minor veining to the marble consistent with the material including slightly open veins at the proper left arm and proper left side of the abdomen, and to the proper right shoulder. There are some specks of dirt including to the forehead by the hair on the proper right side; a group of specks to the back between the feet. There are minor abrasions to some of the edges and corners of the cushion.
"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."

Julien Dillens' Kneeling Nude was directly inspired by Lorenzo Bartolini's La Fiducia in Dio of 1835 (marble, Museo Poldi Pezzoli, inv. no. 1117). Dillens, who was trained at the Brussels Académie between 1861 and 1874, had worked under Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse on the sculptures for the Brussels Bourse in the early 1870s, and was subsequently employed as an assistant in Rodin's studio. The Kneeling Nude owes its inception to Dillens' four years spent as a Prix de Rome winner in Italy from 1877. His choice of La Fiducia in Dio as the basis for the present model was a natural one; his first major sculpture, Une Enigme, was also a seated female nude. He completed the Kneeling Nude not long after his return from Italy, exhibiting it for the first time in 1885 at the Exposition Universelle in Antwerp in a plaster version. The figure was exhibited numerous times during and after Dillens' lifetime. Notably it appeared at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889, in a marble version. The original marble, in the larger size of 98cm., was acquired by the Belgian State from the artist and is in the collection of the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. That version includes roses fallen from the girl's cupped hands. The present figure is a rare marble reduction of the model. The reduction preserves the emotional intensity and quiet piety of the girl's manner, and in the smaller dimensions the marble has a jewel-like quality, both precious and tender. 

RELATED LITERATURE
Julien Dillens. Exposition de ses oeuvres dans la Salle Forst, exh. cat. Salle Forst, Antwerp, 1906, p. 22-27; J. van Lennep et al, La sculpture Belge au 19ème siecle, exh. cat. Générale de Banque et les auteurs, Brussels, 1990, pp. 367-72; J. van Lennep, Catalogue de la sculpture. Artistes nés entre 1750 et 1882, cat. Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, 1992, p. 163; C. Engelen and M. Marx, Beeldhouwkunst in België vanaf 1830, Brussels, 2002, vol. I, pp. 595-8