Aristide Maillol

Galerie E. Bignou, Paris (acquired directly from the artist)

The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Olivier Lorquin.

John Rewald, Maillol, Paris, 1939, no. 121, illustration of the bronze cast n.p.
Marguette Bouvier, Aristide Maillol, Lausanne, 1945, illustration of the wood sculpture pl. 83; illustration of the bronze cast pl. 82
An Exhibition of Original Pieces of Sculpture by Aristide Maillol (exhibition catalogue), Los Angeles County Museum, Los Angeles (and travelling in the USA), 1958-1960, no. 9, illustration of the bronze cast p. 21
Waldemar George, Aristide Maillol, New York, 1965, no. 121, illustration of the bronze cast n.p.
Ursel Berger & Jörg Zutter, Aristide Maillol, Berlin, 1996, illustration of the wood sculpture p. 39; illustration of the bronze cast p. 189

Attractive rich patina.There are some tiny scattered cracks mainly to the base and to the back of the figure. There are some tiny stains, a speck of white paint remnant to her upper torso and a very thin pencil mark above the figure's right hip. There is a tiny surface loss in the figure's belly button and some minor areas of discolouration, mainly above the figure's right hip. There is some minor surface dirt, most notable in the crevices. This work is in overall good condition.
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No other theme is as synonymous with the sculpture of Maillol as the female nude. In the 1890s, the artist shifted his focus from paintings, engravings and tapestries to sculpture, the medium which would dominate his œuvre for the rest of his life. He began sculpting in 1896 by carving directly from blocks of wood. His favoured wood was boxwood, a material common to engravers, whose thickness allowed it to be finely carved from all sides. In 1898-99, inspired by the sculptures of Gauguin who he greatly admired, Maillol created his first bas-reliefs followed by his first two sculptures in the round. La Baigneuse debout was the second of these and arguably the most important. Carved directly from a block of boxwood, it is known as taille directe (fig. 1).

Around 1900, Maillol discovered the pleasure of moulding in clay and he revisited the Baigneuse in the 1920s with another stamping by his assistant, Jean Van Dongen (1883-1970) and from there, he made three clay examples, including the present work, that he reworked himself. Maillol subsequently recreated La Baigneuse debout in a bronze edition.

Maillol's sculptures enjoyed immediate success, bringing him great acclaim and gaining him the admiration of contemporaries including Rodin. Maillol quickly established himself as the sculptor of the eternal woman perfectly expressing her plenitude and her beauty. Maillol moved beyond the rendering of drapery to concentrate on the elegance and grace of the female body, his conception of her body characterised by gentle swells and powerful stature.

Considering the formal significance of Maillol's sculpture, Waldemar George wrote: 'It is the art of a monumental spirit.  Solid, rounded mass; frontal or lateral composition; regular contours; monolithic blocks.  The atmospheric illusions of the Impressionists were followed by Cézanne's prismatic form while Rodin's intense dynamism led to a frozen cadence. Maillol's figures have no diverse profiles to attach them to surrounding air. They have only four sides and are rigorously isolated in space. Like buildings against a clear sky they seem to shine with their own light. Every figure is limited by the confines of its frame' (Waldemar George, Aristide Maillol, New York, 1965, p. 11).

One of the other two known versions of this terracotta is housed in the Musée Maillol in Paris.