- 12
Adolph von Menzel
Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 USD
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Description
- Adolph Menzel
- Head of an Old Man, his eyes raised
- Black chalk and stumping;signed and dated, lower right: Menzel / 95.
- 130 by 78 mm; 5 1/8 by 3 1/8 in
Provenance
With H. Shickman Gallery, New York,
where acquired in 1973
where acquired in 1973
Condition
Hinge mounted in two places along the upper edge to a modern mount. There is a small brown stain to the lower left corner and a further small brown stain to the upper half of the right edge. There is some very minor rubbing and surface dirt to the sheet above the sitter's head. The medium remains strong and vibrant throughout. Sold in a modern giltwood frame.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
The present work, portraying the upraised head and eyes of an old man, is a highly emotive example of Menzel's virtuosity as a draughtsman, demonstrating the artist’s ability to couple crisp, bold lines with the soft, delicate effects created through the technique of stumping. These contrasting styles of handling allowed the artist, when necessary, to combine high levels of detail alongside the softer, more delicate textures required for the modelling of facial features or items of clothing. Menzel captures in this drawing the weary, weather-beaten face of an elderly man whilst simultaneously imbuing the work with immense emotional depth, creating through his subject’s glistening eyes and furrowed brow, a strong sense of pathos.
Menzel was a prolific draughtsman and during the course of his long career made a large number of drawings, some minor and sketchy, others such as the present lot, more diligently worked up and full of personality, an added dimension that many of his contemporaries in the 19th Century did not or could not achieve. The vast majority of Menzel’s drawings are not directly connected to finished paintings, but were instead created by a fascinating and wildly talented man, who for the best part of sixty years, never left home without a sketch book and drawing instruments and was known to regularly - and in a totally unannounced fashion - begin drawing people, whether strangers on the street or elegant company at a society event. This obsessive need to draw, both as a way to satisfy his own artistic instincts, and as a means of documenting his social surroundings, resulted in Menzel becoming one of the most accomplished and instantly recognizable draughtsmen active in the 19th Century.
Menzel was a prolific draughtsman and during the course of his long career made a large number of drawings, some minor and sketchy, others such as the present lot, more diligently worked up and full of personality, an added dimension that many of his contemporaries in the 19th Century did not or could not achieve. The vast majority of Menzel’s drawings are not directly connected to finished paintings, but were instead created by a fascinating and wildly talented man, who for the best part of sixty years, never left home without a sketch book and drawing instruments and was known to regularly - and in a totally unannounced fashion - begin drawing people, whether strangers on the street or elegant company at a society event. This obsessive need to draw, both as a way to satisfy his own artistic instincts, and as a means of documenting his social surroundings, resulted in Menzel becoming one of the most accomplished and instantly recognizable draughtsmen active in the 19th Century.