Aimé-Jules Dalou

Overall the condition of the bronze is excellent.
"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."

Aimé-Jules Dalou's Baigneuse s'essuyant le pied belongs to group of nudes which the artist created in the 1870s (see note to lot 51). Whilst many of the nudes simply capture inconsequential moments some refer to artistic precedents, in the present case the pose and gesture of the figure recall the antique Spinario, as Hunisak has noted. Hunisak illustrates another version of the model and describes Dalou's mastery of composition: 'The direction of her glance is counterbalanced in superb fashion by the limbs which form a tapering focus of sculptural energies where they all join in the act of drying her foot.'

The present bronze preserves all the spontaneity of a sketch. The raised foot and the hands are outlined with a less formal finish than the other foot and the smooth torso. The face and its soft expression are hinted at through judicious and economical modelling. This nude represents a rare appearance on the market and few other bronze versions seem to have been cast. Another version was exhibited by Galerie Delestre in 1976 which also exhibited a sketch drawing of the subject in 1978.

RELATED LITERATURE
Jules Dalou 1838-1902, no. 9; Dalou Inedit, no. 17; Hunisak, p. 119-120, fig. 69