- 68
Balthus
Estimate
12,000 - 18,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Balthus
- Portrait de Laurence B.
- Signed with the artist's monogram and dated 47 (upper right)
- Pencil on paper
- 10 by 5 7/8 in.; 25.4 by 14.9 cm
- Executed in 1947.
Provenance
Private Collection, Chicago
Exhibited
Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art, Balthus in Chicago, 1980, no. 18
Literature
Virginie Monnier & Jean Clair, Balthus, Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre complet, Paris, 1999, no. D 563, illustrated p. 239
Condition
Pencil on paper. Paper is affixed to mat at all four corners. Surface in generally good condition, some light staining and surface dirt. Faint handling creases visible throughout. One two inch hard crease visible at extreme right corner of sheet.
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
The present lot depicts the artist's mistress, Laurence Bataille. The only child of the writer Georges Bataille and the Romanian Jewish actress Sylvia Bataille, Laurence first encountered Balthus in 1947 at the age of sixteen. This work is one of a series of portraits Balthus completed of his young muse.