- 137
Gustav Klimt
Estimate
100,000 - 150,000 USD
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Description
- Gustav Klimt
- Aktstudie für die Rechte Figur in 'der Braut' (Nude Study for the Right Figure in 'The Bride')
- Inscribed by the artist's sister Nachlass meines Bruders Gustav Hermine Klimt (lower right)
- Pencil on paper
- 22 1/4 by 14 7/8 in.
- 56.7 by 37.8 cm
Provenance
Hermine Klimt, Vienna (by descent from the artist)
Galerie Würthle, Vienna
C. J. Rittmannsberger, Vienna (probably acquired from the above in the 1960s and sold by the family: Sotheby's, London, June 26, 2008, lot 160)
Acquired at the above sale by A. Alfred Taubman
Galerie Würthle, Vienna
C. J. Rittmannsberger, Vienna (probably acquired from the above in the 1960s and sold by the family: Sotheby's, London, June 26, 2008, lot 160)
Acquired at the above sale by A. Alfred Taubman
Condition
Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down, hinged to the mount at the top two corners, floating in the mount. There is a flattened crease running across the lower edge (visible when framed and in the catalogue illustration). There is some slight paper skinning and glue residue along the lower edge of the verso, probably due to previous mounting. Apart from handling marks and slight creases, mainly to the upper and lower edges, some surface dirt, a few faint spots of foxing, mainly to the lower half, and a few specks of discoloration towards the center of the right edge, this work is in 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.
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.
Catalogue Note
Drawn circa 1917-18, Aktstudie für die rechte Figur in 'der Braut' is a powerful and arresting image of a female nude, which belongs to a series of studies for the unfinished painting Die Braut. In Die Braut (The Bride) the right hand side of the composition is dominated by the figure of a woman, lying with her legs splayed in a manner similar to the present work. In the oil, however, Klimt chose to cover her with a diaphanous skirt that both obscures and points to her sexuality. In this study, the woman’s pose is more unambiguously erotic; without any assigned narrative, the model is presented as the viewer's object of desire. The sitter's unknowing expression, which suggests an innocence or even vulnerability, reflects the sharpness of the artist's eye as well as his natural sense of draughtsmanship.