Félicien Rops

Librairie Jean-Claude Vrain, Paris
Purchased from the above by the present owner in 2002

This condition report has been provided by Jane McAusland FIIC, Conservator and Restorer of Art on Paper, Nether Hall Barn, Old Newton, Nr Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14. Support The sheet of wove paper that supports this drawing is attached to a thin card and the condition is very good. Medium The pigments also appear to be in a very good condition however there is a line towards the top where an old mount has rubbed the surface a little. Note: This work was viewed outside studio conditions. JANE McAUSLAND
"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."

Le Paravent explores the recurring theme of voyeurism in Rops oeuvre. It shows a woman naked bar her shoes and a velvet ribbon in her hair in all her splendour, admiring herself in the mirror, whilst being spied on by a dandy peeping from behind a fashionable japoniste boudoir paravent. 

Rops's exploration of voyeurism in works such as Le Paravent is tongue in cheek, as any viewer of these compositions is himself put into the position of a voyeur by the artist. Similar to a game of Chinese boxes, where you open a box in which you find a smaller box, which in turn contains another box, the act of seeing and the voyeurism in Le Paravent is multi-fold. This is underlined by the fact that Rops's women are not nude but naked. Rops used articles of clothing on near nude models to give them a special character. By showing them in a state of undress, Rops reveals his models' nudity, which heightens the eroticism of his works. He delighted in the contrast of textures and enjoyed breaking the line of the body. By so doing he concentrated attention on the display of flesh and seems to be continually surprising his models in moments of privacy.