Vera Rockline

Sale: Christie's New York, November 7, 1995, lot 81

This picture is painted on canvas and shows a visible portrait painting on the reverse. The artist has lightly glazed over the reverse, indicating that it is not the primary work. The nude has most likely been fairly recently restored. There are some retouches in the sitter's legs, in her left thigh and in her left bicep. In her face, particularly in the bridge of her nose and her left cheek, there are some restorations and beneath her mouth on the right side between her breasts. The artist painted in a very unique and fickle fashion and it is hard to know where the original technique ends and potential abrasion interact. However, the picture looks well. No further structural restoration is recommended, the paint layer could possibly be cleaned and the retouches applied more accurately. Overall however, the picture looks well. The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Vera Rockline moved from Russia to Paris shortly after WWI. She achieved great success there, becoming one of the leading figures of the Paris School of Russian Artists and exhibiting at the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Tuileries. In the early 1920s, when artistic trends were moving away from realism, Rockline's nude portraits were highly popular with the French public. In Woman with a Fan, the subject's hairstyle and figure resemble those of Kiki of Montparnasse, popular artist's model, performer and painter, while her colorful bracelet and fan add a touch of humor to the overall composition.