Attributed to Jean Antoine Watteau

Victor Koch
H. Eisemann (according to an inscription on the back of a photograph, mentioned in P. Rosenberg & L.-A. Prat, op.cit below)
Dr. Edmund Schilling, London, 1957
Mathias Komor, no. 879

K.T. Parker and J. Mathey, Antoine Watteau: Catalogue complet de son oeuvre Dessiné, Paris, 1957, vol. I, no. 161, reproduced
P. Rosenberg and L-A. Prat, Antoine Watteau 1684-1721, Catalogue raisonné des Dessins, Milan 1996, vol. I, p. 88, fig. 56a, vol. III, p.1216, no. R245
Margaret Morgan Grasselli, 'Pierre Rosenberg and Louis-Antoine Prat, review of Antoine Watteau 1684-1721.  Catalogue raisonné des dessins,' Master Drawings, vol. 39, no. 3, 2001, p. 325, as no. R245

The drawing is in generally good condition apart from some surface dirt and a small, thin spot at the center-left of the verso.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present drawing is discussed in Rosenberg and Prat's catalogue raisonné (loc.cit.) as being a copy after the figure to the left of Watteau's drawing, Trois études de femme assise, coiffée d'une fontange, now in the British Museum.  Margaret Morgan Grasselli, however, stated in her review of Prat and Rosenberg's catalogue raisonné, that she believes this to be an autograph Watteau drawing of 1709, and proposes that it is a preliminary study for the drawing in the British Museum.