Odilon Redon

Eisenloeffel, Laren, Netherlands
E.J. Van Wisselingh & Co., Amsterdam (acquired by 1955)
D. B. Findlay, New York (acquired from the above in 1958)
Private Collection (acquired circa 1989)
Galerie Art Point, Tokyo (acquired by 1991)
Fuji International Art Company, Tokyo
Private Collection
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2007

Amsterdam, E.J. van Wisselingh & Co., Maître français, XIXe et XXe siècles, 1955, no. 28
Amsterdam, E.J. van Wisselingh & Co., Maître français, XIXe et XXe, 1958, no. 36, illustrated in the catalogue
Tokyo, Fuji International Art Company, Redon, 1973, no. 12, illustrated in the catalogue
Tokyo, Isetan Museum, Odilon Redon, 1980, no. 25, illustrated in colour in the catalogue
Tokyo, The National Museum of Modern Art & travelling in Japan, Odilon Redon, 1989, no. 46, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Alec Wildenstein, Odilon Redon, Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint et dessiné, Mythes et Légendes, Paris, 1994, vol. II, no. 912, illustrated p. 85

Executed on buff-coloured wove paper, not laid down, attached to the mount along all extreme edges. There are artist's pinholes along the upper, lower and centre left edge and at the upper right corner. There is a nailhead-sized paper loss at the lower left corner which has been supported. There is a very thin light scratch in the surface towards the lower left corner. There are remnants of glue on the reverse mainly along the right edge. This work is in very good condition.
"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."

Odilon Redon employs myths as themes and subjects, often creating conceptual allusions to the classical past. Imbued in a mysterious aura of fantasy, the present work, depicting the female head of a Sphinx is wonderfully characteristic of the artist's Symbolist style.

The choice of subject matter in the present work, inspired by mythology, enables the artist to portray a visionary world from which time and realistic space are absent. Through the soft handling of coloured pastel and crayon, an array of cold and warm tones, the artist plays with suspending its figures in an undetermined reality. The deep blue veil surrounding the Sphinx's head seems to evoke traditional portrayals of a Madonna. The figure's wings and torso are rendered in bright pinks and harmonious pastel tones, creating a sharp contrast with the figure's more detailed head. Described in its subtleties by Alec Wildenstein as a 'delicate pastel', Sphinx is a 'monster full of grace, sheltering her seductive ambiguity behind her soft wings' (A. Wildenstein, Odilon Redon, Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint et dessiné, Mythes et Légendes, Paris, 1994, p. 85).