Aimé-Jules Dalou

Overall the condition of the clay is very good. There is some dirt and minor wear to the surface consistent with age with some dust to the crevices. There are a few small scuffs, including to the back and proper right knee. There are a few small chips to the edges of the terracotta base. There is a small hole to the back of the hair. There are a few minor chips to the edges of the base. The polychromy on the base is distressed and dirty. There is particular wear to each of the corners incuding a few losses. A wood section on the top was replaced. There is an old nail in the lower edge and several holes where nails have been.
"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."

Avant le bain belongs to the series of individual female nudes, which Aimé-Jules Dalou modelled during the 1870s. In exile from his own country following his involvement with the Paris Commune, Dalou built a highly successful career in London between 1871 and 1879. Eschewing the grand allegories and idealised forms of the Salon, he presented scenes of intimate domesticity at the Royal Academy. His several variations on the theme of mother and child and his quiet studies of women reading caught the attention of the critics and won for him important commissions, notably his Monument to the Grandchildren of Queen Victoria at Windsor.

The nude studies were the private counterparts to the Royal Academy exhibits. They were never exhibited and seem to have been made for the artist's own interest and delight. They showcase Dalou's marvellous dexterity as the malleable clay captures the soft and curved essence of the female form. Delicately observed, the nudes are nevertheless focussed on the realism of folds of flesh and moments of everyday life. The present nude clasps her arms across her chest against the cold, perhaps in the instant before bathing. The sculpture has a wonderful warmth of tone through the soft brown of the terracotta, which perfectly complements the intimate subject.

RELATED LITERATURE
J. Hunisak, The sculptor Jules Dalou: studies in his style and imagery, New York, 1977, pp. 119-120, fig. 69; D. Bilbey and M. Trusted, British Sculpture 1470 - 2000, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2002, pp. 241-251