Lot 157
  • 157

Jacques-Louis David

Estimate
12,000 - 18,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Jacques-Louis David
  • Study of a woman resting her head
  • Black chalk;
    signed, inscribed and dated lower center, in black chalk:  L. David / à  S. 1815
  • 4 7/8 x 6 3/4 inches

Provenance

Sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 26-27 May 1879, lot 34 (according to label on the drawing's backing),
sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 14-15 May 1963, lot 28,
where acquired by Wildenstein,
where acquired by Private collection in 1968;
sale, Paris, Drouot-Richelieu, 15 June 1990, lot 22,
where acquired by the present owner

Exhibited

New York, Wildenstein, Neo-Classicism to Barbizon:  French Drawings and Oil Sketches from the First Half of the 19th Century, 1999 (no catalogue)

Literature

P. Rosenberg and L-A. Prat, Jacques Louis David 1748-1825: catalogue raisonné des dessins, Milan 2002, vol. I, p. 305, no. 322, also cited p. 375, under no. 434, reproduced p. 305

Condition

Hinged to the mount at the upper margin. Some light brown/yellow stains scattered throughout the sheet. Black chalk still incredibly strong - image very powerful. Sold in a carved and gilded frame.
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

This extremely fine and powerful head cannot be connected with a painting by David, but Rosenberg and Prat note a similarity in pose with a somewhat later tête d'expression, dated 1821, in the collection of Jeffrey E. Horvitz and on long term loan to the Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge (Inv. no. 1.1996.9).