Lot 184
  • 184

Aristide Maillol

Estimate
250,000 - 350,000 USD
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Description

  • Aristide Maillol
  • Jeune fille assise
  • Inscribed with the artist's monogram, numbered 3/6 and inscribed with the foundry mark E. Godard Fondeur Paris
  • Bronze
  • Height: 41 in.
  • 104.1 cm

Provenance

Jeffrey H. Loria & Co., New York
Acquired from the above

Literature

John Rewald, Maillol, Paris, 1939, illustration of the marble p. 136

Condition

The sculpture features an attractive brown patina. The surface is clean. There are a few small scratches at the top of the figures head. Overall in very good condition.
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

The emphasis on the perfection of line and purity of the female form so characteristic of Maillol’s work is fully evident in Jeune fille assise. The artist masterfully accentuates his model’s smooth, youthful contours to convey a harmonious presence and idealized beauty. The epitome of classical serenity and repose, she perches on a pedestal with her arms poised delicately at her side, gazing dreamily to her right.

In observing Maillol’s female figures, Octave Mirbeau noted: “She presents the idea of force, of the promise of the flesh; she gives the idea of life because she is life. And her strength is tempered by her divinity; it’s filled with infinite beauty, with natural and spontaneous grace. A strange seductiveness is present, emanating an incomparable female charm. The sensuality pervading her skin has the exquisite freshness and limpid beauty of a flower, of the tree’s young branch and of the dawn. The heady scent of spring is exhaled from her pores—spring, so fresh, so joyful, so strong and invincible, so ardent and creative, inspiring the whole of nature to break forth into sudden flower. She is Maillol’s Woman, a new approach to the sculpture of our time, a new treasury of admirable, living form” (Octave Mirbeau, Aristide Maillol, Paris, 1921, n.p.).