Jean Metzinger

Maxime Girieud, Paris
Private Collection, France (by descent from the above)
Private Collection, France

Paris, Salon des indépendants, 1905, no. 2905

The work is in very good condition. The canvas is unlined. The surface retains a lovely textured impasto. The colors are fresh and bright. Under UV: some original pigments fluoresce. There are some faint strokes of retouching at the extreme upper right quadrant. There appears to be a thin horizontal area of retouching at the lower left, just to the right of the artist's signature. Otherwise, fine.
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.
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The model for the present work, painted in 1905, was Maxime Girieud, a professor of classical Latin and Greek literature. It was by the intermediary of his brother, the artist Pierre Girieud, that this man of letters was introduced to the artistic circles of Paris at the time, and notably to Jean Metzinger, alongside whom Pierre Girieud exhibited at the Galerie Berthe Weill in Paris the same year this work was painted.