RIK WOUTERS | Le Dessinateur - rectoNel assise devant la sculpture La Vierge folle - verso

Galerie Georges Giroux, Brussels
E. J. Van Wisselingh & Co., Amsterdam
Private collection, Europe
Tony Herbert, Kortrijk
Thence by descent to the present owner

Luxemburg, Musée d'art et d'histoire, Collection Tony Herbert, 1963-64, listed no. 69
Mechelen, Cultureel Centrum, Rik Wouters, 1966
Deurle, Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, The Tony Herbert Collection: Jean Brusselmans, Gust de Smet, Constant Permeke, Edgard Tytgat, Frits Van den Berghe, Rik Wouters, 2011, illustrated p. 97

Françoise de Saligny, 'Rik Wouters par lui-même et par ses amis', in Bulletin des Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels, 1964, illustrated p. 62

Executed on cream laid paper, not laid down and taped to the overmount along all four edges of the verso. Recto: There are a few minor creases notably to the upper part of the composition. The sheet is slightly light stained with some scattered dots of foxing and there is some mount staining along the extreme edges. Verso: It has not been possible to see the extreme edges of the sheet. The sheet is light stained with some scattered dots of foxing and there is a dot of discolouration, possibly foxing, to the right part of the lower edge. There is a crease running horizontally along the lower edge. This work is in overall fairly good condition.
"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.
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The sitter on the verso of the work is the painter Edgard Tytgat, a friend of Rik Wouters. The woman drawn on the reverse of the work is the artist's wife, Nel, with behind her the famous sculpture by Rik Wouters, La Vierge folle. 

The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Olivier Bertrand and it will be included in the Catalogue raisonné des Oeuvres sur papier de Rik Wouters.