Lot 109
  • 109

Cecil de Blaquiere Howard

Estimate
15,000 - 25,000 GBP
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Description

  • Cecil de Blaquiere Howard
  • Baigneuse (Bather), 1920
  • signed: HOWARD
  • ochre patinated Poracci marble

Exhibited

Paris, Salon d'automne, 1921

Condition

Overall the condition of the marble is very good, with minor dirt and wear consistent with age. The marble has an original patina of applied ochre to the surface. There are a few very small chips and abrasions to the rock work at the back, including a slightly larger chip to the bottom at the back. The base below the feet has been deliberately left roughly hewn. The ochre patina has worn in a few areas, including to the face and to the raised proper left arm. There are a few naturally occurring inclusions to the marble, including one to the woman's back on the proper right side, and to the proper right calf muscle.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

'Just inside the grand entrance, in the best position in the entire salon, is a beautiful marble Bathing Girl by the American sculptor Cecil Howard. It is attracting great attention'

New York Evening Post,‎ November 1, 1921,

'Une petite baigneuse de l'Américain Cecil Howard, taillée directement dans le marbre, est, dans sa simplicité et sa souplesse, une œuvre accomplie et charmante'

Edouard Sarradin, 'Le Salon d'automne', Journal des débats politiques et littéraires, no 303,‎ 2 November 1921, p. 3

This elegant Baigneuse is representative of Howard's move towards a refined classicising ideal. The sculpture functions like a relief, with one principal viewing point. Interestingly, the composition is remarkably close to a maenad from a 1st-century Roman relief after a Greek 4th-century model with dancing maenads in the musée du Louvre (inv. no. MR 686; Ma 965). The composition is so close that it must be concluded that Howard look his inspiration from this accessible Roman antiquity.