Frank Auerbach

David Wilkie, by whom gifted to the present owner

Unexamined out of frame. The sheet does not appear fully laid down, but is at least partially adhered to a backing support. The extreme left hand edge has been slightly unevenly cut. There are pin holes in all four corners, with very minor handling marks visible to the extreme edges, with further traces of minor studio detritus and surface dirt to the work. There is very minor staining to the extreme edges of the sheet, and to a small rectangle in the bottom left quadrant, where the mount on the reverse is cut through to reveal the signature. This excepting the work appears in very good overall condition, with strong, fresh charcoal throughout. Housed behind glass in a thin light wooden frame, float-mounted against a white card backing. Unexamined out of frame. Please telephone the department on +44 (0) 207 293 6424 if you have any queries regarding the present work.
"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."

We are grateful to William Feaver for his kind assistance with the cataloguing of the present work, and lots 194 and 195.

David Wilkie was one of Auerbach’s most important and influential early supporters, and from first meeting the Artist in the late 1950s, went on to commission six paintings by the Artist, including The Origin of the Great Bear, gifted to the Tate following Wilkie’s death in 1992. Based on the myth of Callisto as told in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Auerbach reinterpreted the myth, setting it in his nearby Hampstead Heath, with the Royal Free Hospital in the distance. Wilkie held nine paintings by the Artist within his collection, and several related drawings, including the two present studies, gifted by Wilkie to the present owner in the 1980s.