Honoré Daumier

Madame Pierre Bureau, by 1878,
thence by descent to her son, Paul Bureau, Paris,
by whose Estate sold, Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, 20 May 1927, lot 55;
Otto Gerstenberg (1848-1935), Berlin,
thence by descent to his daughter, Frau Margarethe Scharf, Berlin,
thence by descent to her son, Dieter Scharf (1926-2001), Hamburg;
with Nathan, Zurich;
with Paul Rosenberg & Co., New York, by 1963;
Mr. Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee, Devon, PA, until 1984,
thence by inheritance to his widow, Williamina Meyer de Schauensee (née Wentz), Devon, PA,
by whose Estate sold, New York, Christie's, 15 November 1990, lot 107,
where acquired by the present owner

Paris, Galeries Durand-Ruel, Expositions des peintures et dessins de H. Daumier, 1878, no. 122
Paris, Palais de l'École des Beaux-Arts, Exposition Daumier, 1901, no. 139

A. Alexandre, Honoré Daumier, l'homme et son oeuvre, Paris 1888, p. 377;
E. Klossowski, H. Daumier, Paris 1914, p. 113, under no. 295A;
E. Fuchs, Der Maler Daumier, Munich 1927, p. 56, under no. 228a;
R. Escholier, Daumier, Paris 1930, p. 262, under no. 70, reproduced;
K.E. Maison, Honoré Daumier: Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings, Watercolours and Drawings, London 1967, vol. II, p. 242, no. 727, reproduced p. 12, fig. 3 (detail) and pl. 286;
B. Laughton, Honoré Daumier, New Haven and London 1996, p. 120, fig. 151, reproduced;
A. Pophanken and F. Billeter, Die Moderne und ihre Sammler. Französische Kunst in Deutschem Privatbesitz vom Kaiserreich zur Weimarer Republik, Berlin 2001 (cited by T.W. Gaehtgens and J. Scharf, Die Sammlung Otto Gerstenberg, p. 179);
B. Echte and W. Feilchenfeldt, 'Das Beste aus aller Welt zeigen,' Kunstsalon Bruno and Paul Cassirer. Die Ausstellungen 1898-1901, Wädenswil 2011;
J. Scharf et al., Die historische Sammlung Otto Gerstenberg, Ostfildern 2012, p. 41, no. 182, reproduced; and, in the same publication: C. Keisch, "Auch eine "Allégorie réelle": Daumiers Die diebe und der esel", pp. 226 & 239, note 11

Cannot tell if sheet is laid down as window mount is covering the edges of the sheet. The sheet has slightly discolored. Pen and ink remains fresh and strong. Sold in 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.

The first two owners of this drawing, Madame Pierre Bureau and her son Paul, were represented (the latter as an infant) by Daumier in another wash drawing, La mère (private collection), which has recently been dated to around 1860-63.¹ Paul Bureau, adding to the works assembled by his parents, formed one of the 19th century's finest collections of drawings by Daumier. 

The observation of daily life lies at the very heart of Daumier's art.  As Colta Ives has described, over a period of more than 30 years the artist depicted every aspect of Parisian life, producing over three thousand widely circulated lithographs in which the world around him, and all the incredible cast of characters with which it was populated, was memorably captured, its spirit preserved for future generations.²  Daumier's genius as an illustrator and commentator was that his images are both penetrating records of their time, and fundamentally timeless images of the human condition.  And he was also a master draughtsman, with total control of his chosen medium, be it chalk, pen or watercolor.  

¹  Maison, op. cit., no. 689; Laughton, op. cit., p. 159 

²  Daumier Drawings, exh. cat., Frankfurt, Städelsche Kunstinstitut, and New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992-93, pp. 120-121