William Bouguereau

Private Collection (since the late 1940s)
Thence by descent to the present owner

This painting is not lined. There are multiple pin dots of paint loss in the background, frame abrasion around the perimeter of the painting, and in her chin and the associated area fluoresces under UV.
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.

The present work is a head study for the left side figure of Bouguereau's Philomèle et Progné of 1861 (now held by the Musée national du Château de Fontainebleau).  The tragic story of the two sisters, Philomela and Procne, is told in Ovid's Metamorphosis and had inspired many artists (though Bouguereau may have been more directly informed by Jean de la Fontaine's interpretation in his Fables. See: Damien Bartoli with Frederick Ross, William Bouguereau, Catalogue raisonné of the painted works, New York, 2010, p. 69, no. 1861/04). Procne's husband Tereus, king of Thrace, abused  and violated Philomela, and later silenced her by cutting out her tongue and locking her away.  Thought dead, Philomela was left to weave her tale into a tapestry which, when brought to Procne, inspired her violent revenge against Tereus — she cooked their son Itys and served him for dinner. Ultimately the sisters could only escape Tereus' rage by the gods transforming them into birds, Philomela a swallow and Procne a nightingale.

The signature at upper left is apocryphal as Bouguereau almost never signed his numerous head studies.