Aristide Maillol

Private Colllection, Switzerland

Dina Vierny, Paris

Acquired from the above in 1995

Acquired from the above

Tokyo, Mitsukoshi Art Museum, Shinjuko; Hokkaido, Hakodate Museum of Art; Kagawa, Takamatsu City Museum of Art; Akita Museum of Modern Art; Chiba Prefectural Museum of Art; Fukushima Prefectural Museum of Art; Hyogo, Himeji City Museum of Art, Maillol, 1994-95, no. 43, illustrated in the catalogue

The work is in excellent condition. Modeled patina with green and brown undertones. No noticeable surface irregularities.
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 beauty of the female body fascinated Maillol throughout his career, and the present sculpture is one of his most idealized representations. The present work is related to Maillol's allegorical sculpture entitled La Seine. Maillol's first rendering of this figure in the 1920s is emphatically avant-garde, characterized by a sleek linearity that would define the Modernist aesthetic.  Bertrand Lorquin describes the true artistry at the heart of Maillol's work:  "Maillol's sculpture achieves an ideal balance through the accuracy of its proportions as well as the harmoniousness of its compositions.  Paul Valéry once said that sculpture is an art full of surprises, and at each moment the sculptor chooses his viewpoint among an infinite array of possibilities.  A Maillol statue is a perpetual revelation of the type of beauty which the sculptor invented" (B. Lorquin, Aristide Maillol , op. cit., pp. 102-03).

According to the late Dina Vierny, who issued a certificate for this work, the present bronze belongs to an edition of six numbered casts, plus two artist's proofs.  The bronze was created from the sand casting method at the Emile Godard foundry in Paris and is numbered 1/6.