Aristide Maillol

Perls Gallery, New York (acquired from the artist)

Acquired from the above

John Rewald, Maillol, Paris, 1939, illustration of another cast p. 66 (as dating from 1910)

Marquette Bouvier, Aristide Maillol, Lausanne, 1945, illustration of another cast

Judith Cladel, Aristide Maillol, Buenos Aires, 1946, no. 32, illustration of another cast

Rolf Linnenkamp, Aristide Maillol, Die Grossen Plastiken, Munich, 1960, illustration of anoher cast p. 81

Waldemar George, Maillol, Paris, 1971, illustration of another cast p. 20

Waldemar George, Aristide Maillol et l'ame de la sculpture, Neuchatel, 1977, illustrations of other casts pp. 180-82

Bertrand Lorquin, Maillol aux Tuilleries, Paris, 1991, illustrations of another cast in color pp. 31-32 

Bertrand Lorquin, Aristide Maillol, New York, 1995, illustration of another cast

Excellent condition. The bronze bears a rich green-brown patina. There is some minimal wear to the patina along the back hairline and a shallow scratch on the figure's left thigh, but otherwise the work is structurally sound and in excellent 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.
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This noble image of a woman emerging from the Seine is Maillol's celebrated personification of the Île-de-France. Allegory played an important role in Maillol's oeuvre, and here he has chosen to represent France's capital region with a pose similar to that of the classical Nike of Samothrace in the collection of the Louvre.  In an earlier variant of this sculpture from 1907, the woman is rendered rising from the water, her feet submerged beneath its surface.  The present version, which dates from 1925, portrays the fully emerged figure with one toe broaching the boundary of her base, as if to suggest her limitless potential.  Life in the Île-de-France is reliant upon the Seine river and its tributaries, the Marne and Ouse, and Maillol's composition beautifully evokes the balance and interdependence of land and water in this region.

Maillol's most successful compositions are defined by their idealized rendering of the female body.  In his monograph of the artist, Waldemar George noted that the figure here is Maillol's interpretation of a specifically French female body type, with her petite facial features and more athletic constitution than the Mediterranean models that Maillol had sculpted in the past.  As the embodiment of the strength and vigor for which this important region is known, Île-de-France is perfectly proportioned and her pose beautifully captures the force of her movement as she rises out of the water. Maillol's idea for this sculpture originated in 1910, and over the course of fifteen years he repeatedly refined his composition to best suit his allegorical theme. He also carved a marble version, now in the Musée d'Orsay.