Aristide Maillol

Private Collection (acquired by the artist)

Private Collection

Acquired from the above in 2007

Waldemar George, Aristide Maillol, Neuchâtel, 1965, illustration of another cast p. 199

Denys Chevalier, Maillol, New York, 1970, illustration of another cast p. 79

John Rewald, Artstide Maillol: 1861-1944 (exhibition catalogue), The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1975, no. 88, illustration of another cast p. 83

Exposition Maillol au Japon (exhibition catalogue), Musée Départment des Beaux-Arts, Yamanashi; Musée Hiroshima des Beaux-Arts; Musée Préfectoral des Beaux-Arts de Kumamoto; Musée Préfectorial des Beaux-Arts, Ishikawa; Musée Préfectoral des Beaux-arts, Ehime; Musée Préfectoral d'Art Moderne, Hyogo & Musée d'Isetan, Tokyo, 1984, no. S-54, illustration of another cast p. 194

Bertrand Lorquin, Maillol aux Tuileries, Paris, 1991, illustration of another cast p. 14

Bertrand Lorquin, Aristide Maillol, London, 1995 illustration of another cast p. 102

Very good condition. The bronze features a mottled green patina. No visible surface abrasions and the work is structurally sound and 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.
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 sculpture is a medley of formal quotations that call to mind some of the greatest sculpture of the classical age. Standing with a raised foot forward and her arms akimbo behind her head, the figure could be considered a reinterpretation of the Nike of Samothrace. But Maillol's idealized first rendering of this figure at the beginning of the 20th century is emphatically avant-garde, characterised 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).