Jean-Baptiste Oudry

Benoncy-Rolpert Collection, Versailles;
Ancel Collection, Paris;
Madame Mottart,
her estate sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 12 February 1945, lot 29 (as Attributed to Oudry);
with Wildenstein and Co., from 1968;
Private collection

H.N. Opperman, Jean-Baptiste Oudry, New York and London 1977, vol. 1, pp. 140-41; vol. II, p. 653, no. D138; p. 655, under no. D148; reproduced vol. II, p. 989, fig. 34

Laid down. Paper probably has discoloured from blue. Small hole repaired and filled in with white over eyebrow. Quite a lot of red chalk in hair area which is hard to see.
"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."

Opperman dates this study to Oudry's early period, around 1715.  He compares it with another Head of a Woman, which is also drawn in three colours of chalk and which is signed in the same way.¹  That is a study for a figure in Oudry's painting The Birth of the Virgin, now lost but known through an engraving.  Opperman suggests the present study was intended for an untraced history painting.

1.  Opperman, op. cit., vol. II, p. 650-51, no. D132, reproduced p. 989, fig. 33