Lot 56
  • 56

AIMÉ-JULES DALOU | Baigneuse s'essuyant le pied droit (Bathing Woman Drying her Right Foot)

Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 GBP
bidding is closed

Description

  • Aimé-Jules Dalou
  • Baigneuse s'essuyant le pied droit (Bathing Woman Drying her Right Foot)
  • signed: DALOU, stamped: CIRE PERDUE A. A. HÉBRARD and with a plaque to the base inscribed: A GEORGE F. JAUBERT / LE CONSEIL D'ADMINISTRATION DE L'OXYLITHE
  • bronze, dark brown patina, on a yellow Siena marble base
  • bronze: 36cm, 14 1/8 in.base: 9cm., 3 1/2 in. 

Condition

Overall the condition of the bronze is very good, with minor dirt and wear to the surface consistent with age. There are a few minor nicks and scratches, including to the chest and the proper left hip. There is some very slight greening, including to the proper left buttock. There are a few small chips along the edges and corners of the marble base.
"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

Dalou was fascinated with the subject of the female nude and worked and re-worked the composition, representing nudes before and after the bath, towelling themselves, standing, seated, taken by surprise or removing their stockings. These intimate figures were the preserve of Dalou's private collectors as they were never exhibited at the Royal Academy or the Salon. Despite this, they did not escape notice and his works of female nudes were well known, and posthumously cast in bronze. The present Baigneuse is distinguished by her voluptuous figure and natural ease of movement. RELATED LITERATURE
A. Simier, Jules Dalou, Le sculpteur de la République: Catalogue des sculptures de Jules Dalou conserves au Petit Palais, exh. cat. Petit Palais - Musées des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, Paris, 2013, pp. 384-385, no. 313