Edwin Lord Weeks

Sale: Very Important Finished Pictures, Studies, Sketches and Original Drawings by the Late Edwin Lord Weeks to be sold at unrestricted public sale by order of his widow, American Art Association, New York, March 15-17, 1905, lot 272
George H. Ainslie (acquired at the above sale) 
Donald A. Cowl (and sold, American Art Association, New York, May 5, 1932, lot 76)
Plaza Curiosity Shop (acquired at the above sale) 
Sale: Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, February 12, 1944, lot 317
Sale: Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, February 28 - March 1, 1945, lot 215 
Private Collection (by 1960)
Acquired from the above, his uncle (by 1980)

Paris, Salon des Artistes Français, 1904 
Art Institute of Chicago, Annual Exhibition of Works by American Artists, 1904 

The World To-Day: A Monthly Record of Human Progress, Chicago, December 1904, vol. VII, p. 1498, illustrated 
American Art Annual, New York, 1905-06, vol. V, p. 105 

This work is unlined. The old varnish appears to have yellowed across the picture. There are isolated areas of craquelure where the paint layer is heavier. There is evidence of restoration in an L-shaped line extending down from the reclining figures knee and towards the fountain. On the reverse, there are patches of varying size in the upper right corner, lower center edge, lower left corner, and upper left quadrant, and an application of wax or resin to address the aforementioned repair. Under UV: old varnish fluoresces green unevenly, with visible areas of retouching corresponding to the aforementioned patches and repair.
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.

After years of travel through Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and India, the American artist Edwin Lord Weeks remained captivated by the sights he encountered abroad. Toward the end of his career he began an ambitious series of paintings based on A Thousand and One Nights. Having documented his travels through sketches, paintings and photographs, Weeks was well equipped with the source material for the present scene, and was careful to render the architecture, complete with its delicately carved stone latticework, as well as the costumes of the two figures. The lounging woman is swathed in elaborately embroidered silks, reminiscent of the Nautch dancing girls whom Weeks had painted in India (see lot 62). Additionally, architectural elements reminiscent of his Indian paintings of the 1880s and 1890s now reappear as background and decorative elements.