Wilhelm Lehmbruck

Galerie A. Vecht, Amsterdam (acquired in Paris circa 1920)
Thence by descent to the present owner

E.H. Ramsden, Twentieth Century Sculpture, London, 1949, illustration of another cast p. 37
Lehmbruck and his Contemporaries (exhibition catalogue), Curt Valentin Gallery, New York, 1951, no. 5, illustration of another cast n.p.
Dietrich Schubert, Wilhelm Lehmbruck, Catalogue raisonné der Skulpturen, 1898-1919, Worms, 2001, no. 61 A. 3, illustrated p. 244
Dietrich Schubert, Die Kunst Lehmbrucks, Worms, 1990, illustration of another cast no. 130 & pl. 82, n.p.
Margarita C. Lahusen, Wilhelm Lehmbruck, Munich, 1997, no. 116, illustration of another cast p. 112
Katharina B Lepper & Christoph Brockhaus, Wilhelm Lehmbruck 1881-1919, Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg, 2005, no. 49.2, illustration of another cast p. 133

Cast terracotta. The work is structurally sound. There is a small loss to the figure's proper right nipple that measures approximately 50x10x10mm. There is a firing crack that runs along the figure's proper right shoudler measuring approximately 200 x1.5mm and there is some evidence of previous restoration to this crack in the form of a coloured fill. The crack shows no sign of movement or deterioration. There are small and very fine firing marks regularly over the whole surface of the terracotta which are entirely stable and do not pose any structural issue. There is a shallow chip on the proper right shoulder that measures approximately 10x10x0.5mm, which appears to have been restored in the past. There is a similar patch on the centre of the figure's back, at the base, where there is a small dark patch of restoration. Otherwise, this work is in overall good condition and the work is structurally sound.
"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."

After studying at the Dusseldorf Academy of Art, Lehmbruck moved to Paris in 1910, where he lived at 105, rue de Vagiraud. He frequented the Café du Dôme, where he met sculptors such as Brancusi, Archipenko and Modigliani. He was soon introduced to the process of stonecasting, a technique already practised by Brancusi at the time.

The artist’s finest work was concentrated into one decade, the years between 1910 and the artist’s untimely death in 1919. Conceived in 1912-14, and cast during the artist’s lifetime, Büste der Knienden is a section of Lehmbruck’s monumental sculpture Die Kniende, created in Paris during the same period. In it we see the elongation that was to become Lehmbruck’s defining sculptural characteristic. The sensitive handling of the features in this terracotta cast creates a deep unity between the subject and the moulding. Lehmbruck here combines a smooth sexual tension with poetic melancholy, in a wonderful example of his unique approach to the female body.