- 145
Adolph von Menzel
Estimate
18,000 - 22,000 USD
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Description
- Adolph Menzel
- an old woman holding a lamp
- Carpenter's pencil;
signed with initials: AM;
bears annotation by Philip Hofer on the back of the old mount: Adolf Menzel/Bot.(?) of Alfred Gold (through P.J. Sachs) June 1939/ P.H.
Provenance
Philip Hofer;
C.G. Boerner, Düsseldorf, Die Schönsten Neuerwerbungen...1500 bis 1900, Neue Lagerliste n. 90, 1988, no. 85
C.G. Boerner, Düsseldorf, Die Schönsten Neuerwerbungen...1500 bis 1900, Neue Lagerliste n. 90, 1988, no. 85
Exhibited
Loan, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, Mass., 1944
Condition
Stuck down on three corners and at center, so can't see back of sheet. Surface dirt. Light stains above her hand. Chalk is fresh and general impression good.
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.
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.
Catalogue Note
This is a study for one of Menzel's illustrations for an edition of Heinrich von Kleist's play Der Zerbrochene Krug (The Broken Pitcher) which were commissioned from Menzel in 1876 by a Berlin publisher, Hofmann and Co. Menzel worked on the illustrations between the late autumn of 1876 and the summer of 1877 and, as the play is set in Utrecht, he travelled to the Netherlands to better understand its context. The edition, published in 1877, the centenary of Kleist's birth, contained 30 wood engravings designed by Menzel and four photographs after grisaille gouaches by him. Other drawings related to the commission are in Berlin and in the Fogg Museum. The present study shows Marthe Hull, the mother of the central character Eva, entering her room with a lamp, where Ruprecht lies on the floor with the broken jug. For an illustration of the full composition, see Adolph Menzel, Zeichnungen, Druckgraphik und Illustrierte Bücher, Ein Bestandkatalog..., Berlin 1984, p. 473, fig. 333.7. The location of the original gouaches in unknown.