Egon Schiele

John and Paul Herring & Co., New York
Acquired from the above by the present owner on 16th April 1999

Vienna, Gustav Nebehay Kunsthandlung, Die Zeichnung: Egon Schiele, 1919, no. 47, illustrated in the catalogue
Vienna, Galerie Würthle, Egon Schiele, 1928, no. 8
New York, Museum of Modern Art, Vienna 1900: Art, Architecture & Design, New York, 1986, no. 102

Jane Kallir, Egon Schiele: The Complete Works, London, 1998, no. 394, illustrated p. 393
Jane Kallir, Egon Schiele's Women, Munich, 2012, no. 81, illustrated p. 94

Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down, attached to the mount at all four corners and floating in the overmount. The upper and right edges are slightly uneven. There is a fine crease running along the upper edge. There are some scattered and clustered pin holes towards the upper left and upper right edges and there is one small pinhole to the centre of the lower edge. There are some very fine and minor creases in places, away from the composition. Otherwise, this work is in overall very good 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. 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."

Commenting on the extraordinary significance of Schiele's figure drawings, scholar Thomas M. Messer remarks: 'It is the rendition of the human likeness that carries Schiele most directly toward the attainment of his creative objectives. Schiele drew and painted men and women, from infancy to old age, in formal pose and in moments of abandon, singly or in groups, concentrating upon them all his skill and penetrating insight. In doing so, he observed their every feature, probing beyond the exterior toward the hidden layers of a psychic reality. Eventually this search centered upon himself. Or rather, one may assume that Schiele's trenchant portraits of others were always preparatory manoeuvres for an ultimate assault upon the bastions of his own inner defences' (Thomas M. Messer, 'Egon Schiele: Works on Paper' in Egon Schiele 1890-1918: Watercolors and Drawings from American Collections (exhibition catalogue), Galerie St. Etienne, New York, 1965, p. 7).