Théodore Chassériau

Sale: Christie's, London, 2 April 1974, lot 4
Galerie Nathan, Zurich
Purchased by the late owners from the above in 1977 

Paris, Salon, 1852, no. 240 (as Desdemona) 

Marc Sandoz, Théodore Chassériau 1819-1856, Catalogue raisonné des peintures et estampes, Paris, 1974, p. 258, no. 124, catalogued, p. 259, pl. 114, illustrated
Théodore Chassériau: The Unknown Romantic, Evreux, 2002, p. 328, discussed in the catalogue

This condition report has been provided by Hamish Dewar, Hamish Dewar Ltd. Fine Art Conservation, 14 Masons Yard, Duke Street, St James's, London SW1Y 6BU. Structural Condition The canvas is unlined on what would appear to be the original stretcher and this is ensuring an even and secure support and no structural intervention is required. The reverse of the canvas has traces of paint presumably applied by the artist. Paint surface The paint surface has an even surface coating but inspection under ultra-violet light shows the varnish layers to be uneven. Areas therefore fluoresce unevenly, making the exact extent of retouchings difficult to assess. The only retouchings that are visible under ultra-violet light are: 1) fine lines filling craquelure on the red robes of the girl on the right of the composition, 2) retouching in the dark red pigments above and behind the head of the 2 girls, and 3) retouching around the framing edges. There may be other retouchings beneath the varnish layers. Summary The painting would therefore appear to be in good and stable condition and no further work is required.
"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."

Based on Act IV, Scene III of Shakespeare's tragedy Othello, Desdémone se couchant is one of six recorded versions in oil by Chassériau which, with its powerful sense of impending drama expressed through his spritely brush and striking chiaroscuro, epitomises the artist's Romantic sensibilities.

In Shakespeare's play, the villainous Iago convinces Othello that his virtuous lover, Desdemona, has been unfaithful, causing the passionate Othello to murder her in a fit of jealous rage. In the present work, the graceful figure of Desdemona is prepared for the fateful night by her servant (and Iago's wife) Emilia, whose unwilling compliance with Iago's treachery will lead to Desdemona's death. Desdemona is murdered in the very bed to which she alludes in her prescient conversation with Emilia, and which can be seen on the right lit by the oil lamp:

Emilia: I would you had never seen him!
Desdemona: So would not I, my love doth so approve him,
                        That even his stubbornness, his checks and frowns,--                        Prithee unpin me,--have grace and favour in them.
Emilia: I have laid those sheets you bade me on the bed.
Desdemona: All's one, good faith: how foolish are our minds!
                        If I do die before thee, prithee shroud me
                        In one of those same sheets.

Very likely influenced by the 1843 publication of Delacroix's Hamlet series of sixteen lithographs, Chassériau first rendered the subject of the doomed lovers through his fifteen etchings and a frontispiece for the Othello series of 1844; the present work may have been inspired by one of Chassériau's etchings of the same scene in the play. The Parisian public was very familiar with the play at the time, as performances with English actors had been staged in 1822 and in 1827-1828, with a Rossini opera inspired by the Shakespearean tragedy produced in 1821 starring the legendary mezzo-soprano and actress Maria Malibran. Indeed, according to Marc Sandoz, 'La Malibran' served Chassériau as the model for the Desdemona in the present work (Sandoz, p. 259).

Shakespearean dramas were themes dear to Chassériau throughout the early 1850s. According to the French writer Théophile Gautier, 'the young painter rendered Shakespearean feeling with a great deal of force and boldness. All of the English poet's characters have been faithfully brought to life, thanks to the French artist's talent... it is impossible to understand any better the true meaning of the great writer's work' (cited in Théodore Chassériau: The Unknown Romantic, Evreux, 2002, p. 201).

Through his depictions of mythological, religious and fictional heroines Chassériau developed a sensual female type for which he was greatly admired. As stated by Jean-Louis Vaudoyer: 'Chassériau's woman not only possesses a romantic and emotional power... Her elongated, firm and harmonious forms recall those of ancient goddesses, yet the wistfulness of her poses and gazes reveals anxieties and aspirations that were unknown in Antiquity' (cited in Théodore Chassériau: The Unknown Romantic, Louis-Antoine Prat, Evreux, 2002, p. 280). This synthesis of the modern and traditional, the romantic and academic characterised works such as the present, and left a deep impression on the subsequent generation of Romantic artists: on the Symbolists (notably Gustave Moreau and Puvis de Chavannes) as well as on the Nabis.

By the age of eleven, Chassériau's prodigious draughtsmanship earned him a place as an apprentice in the studio of the great academic painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Ingres believed him to be his truest disciple, hailing Chassériau as the future 'Napoleon of painting.' The artist made his Salon debut at the age of seventeen with several portraits and religious subjects. While true to his master's emphasis on line and form, Chassériau additionally absorbed the expressive, vibrant colour and painterly handling used by Delacroix. Like Delacroix, Chassériau was attracted to the Middle East, visiting Algeria in 1846. He produced an abundance of Orientalist subjects from this point, and all of his subjects were subsequently imbued with a rich and emotive Romanticism and exoticism.