AFTER EUGÈNE DELACROIX | Portrait of Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849), unfinished, bust length

oil on canvas;

Not viewed out of the frame. Original unlined condition. The work is in fair condition overall and present well. Faint, stable craquelure across the surface. Very minor abrasion in the lower left and upper left corners, with some streaked varnish visible at upper left. Under UV: varnish fluoresces green. Broad areas of fluorescence visible in the corners and along the right edge. Scattered pin dots of fluorescence in the background, probably original to the work. Offered in a gold frame.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For that reason, Sotheby's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot.

This painting derives from a work by Eugène Delacroix of roughly the same size that is currently in the Musée du Louvre, Paris (inv. no. R.F. 1717). The Louvre’s composition once formed part of a large, unfinished double portrait of Chopin seated next to George Sand, which is believed to have been completed in 1838. The double portrait of Chopin and Sand allegedly remained in Delacroix’s  studio until his death in 1863. By 1873, the Louvre’s portion had been cut from the original double portrait and was sold as its own lot in a 1874 auction at Hôtel Drouot, Paris.