Gustav Klimt

Hermine Klimt, Vienna
Dr. Rosner
Private Collection, Israel (and sold: Sotheby's, London, November 30, 1988, lot 438)
Acquired at the above sale by A. Alfred Taubman

Alice Strobl, Gustav Klimt, Die Zeichnungen Nachtrag 1878-1918, vol. IV, Salzburg, 1989, nos. 3469 & 3475, illustrated pp. 119-20

Executed recto verso on buff colored wove paper not laid down. The sheet is hinged to the mount in the upper corners. The edges are deckled and display very minor nicks and scuffing. There is a faint flattened crease running horizontally across the composition parallel to the upper edge. Some smaller faint flattened creases running diagonally across the corners. Sheet is lightly time stained and there is a faint old mat stain. There are four small repaired nicks, these are most noticeable to the verso where the sheet is slightly discolored. These are located towards the upper right corner and upper and lower left corners and towards the center of the left edge as seen from recto. This work is in overall 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.

Both recto and verso of this sheet are studies relating to Jurisprudenz, one of the paintings that Klimt conceived for ceiling of the Great Hall at the University in Vienna. This project, which began with the commission in 1894, was to occupy Klimt for over a decade and result in three works representing Philosophy, Medicine and Jurisprudence. Although widely criticized by his contemporaries, Klimt’s strikingly modern treatment of these allegorical subjects marks an important point in his early career and had they not been destroyed by retreating German forces in 1945 they would be considered among his greatest achievements.

The verso of the present work relates to an earlier version of Jurisprudenz that differs considerably from the final composition, showing only a single female figure brandishing a sword in her outstretched hand. The recto appears to relate to the final version of the composition; although his posture is different, the remarkable naturalism with which the man’s face is rendered suggests he was an alternative to the central figure in the finished oil.