Eugen von Blaas

Girl at the Window

Auction Closed

January 27, 10:47 PM GMT

Estimate

100,000 - 150,000 USD

Lot Details

Description

Eugen von Blaas

Austrian

1843 - 1931

Girl at the Window

signed and dated Eugen von Blaas 1889 (vertically, lower right)

oil on panel

panel: 21½ by 14½ in.; 54.6 by 36.8 cm

framed: 29 by 22 in.; 73.6 by 55.8 cm

The following condition report is kindly provided by Simon Parkes. This work is painted on a single piece of mahogany, which is flat. There are no breaks in the panel. The work is clean, retouched, varnished, and could be hung in its current state. There are what seem to be retouches measuring about 2 by 4 inches located between the head and the top edge, which are visible when the work is viewed under ultraviolet light. Another area of restoration, measuring 4 by 1 inch, can be seen in the upper right. A few other isolated dots of restoration are visible in the center of the right side. There is one area of restoration to the immediate right of the ear on the right, running about 1 1/2 by 1 inch. Two small spots of retouching can be seen in the upper and lower lip. There are possibly a couple of spots of retouching in the hair on the left. The rough texture of the light gray color on the far left shows retouches aimed at reducing the dark undercolor. The original paint layer in the face and hair reads quite strongly when viewed under ultraviolet light. Other areas which strongly fluoresce under ultraviolet light but which are probably not retouches include her left arm, above her right hand, and some areas in the marble balustrade across the bottom of the picture. Although the painting looks very well as is, the retouches are quite broad in some areas and could be reexamined. The work could also be hung as is.

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.

NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Sale: Dorotheum, Vienna, July, 1938.
Private collection, Austria
Sale: Sotheby's, London, 9 July, 2019, lot 34.

Thomas Wassibauer, Eugen von Blaas, Das Werk, Hildesheim, 2005, p. 146, no. 230, ill.

Von Blaas strove to capture the inherent beauty of Italian women by capturing them in their daily lives, in conversation, in the streets, selling flowers, or courting lovers. A young woman is portrayed here leaning against the balustrade of a Venetian home and holding a rose, whose color and delicacy is reflected in her features.

The artist’s technical abilities are evident in his rendering of the sumptuous fabrics and lace in the woman’s corset and in the delicate still life. As the artist's biographer Thomas Wassibauer points out, to some degree his compositions are fantasies, figures frozen in time which explore and experience what he calls ‘harmless joie de vivre’.