亨利·馬蒂斯

Pierre Wertheimer, Lyon (a gift from the artist in June 1944)

Private Collection, France (by descent from the above and sold: Sotheby’s, New York, November 5, 2004, lot 342)

Acquired at the above sale

Stuttgart, Staatsgalerie Stuttgart & Hamburg, Bucerius Kunst Forum, Matisse: People, Masks, Models, 2009-10, no. 99, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Cahiers d'Art, Paris, 1945-46, illustrated p. 165

Maurice Malingue, Matisse: Dessins, Paris, 1949, illustrated pl. 35

Lydia Delectorskaya, Henri Matisse. Contre vents et marées, Peinture et livres illustrés de 1939 à 1943, Paris, 1996, illustrated p. 355

Very good condition. The artist's tacking holes appear at the four corners with a very small paper loss at the lower right corner. The sheet is slightly discolored from a previous acidic mount and shows a few whiter areas in the background at the left side of the sheet. The pigment appears strong and undisturbed. There are no tears or repairs to the 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.

The present work is executed in charcoal and estompe, a technique which Matisse began using in the early 1920s and applied primarily to his portraiture. In his article "Notes d'un peintre sur son dessin", published in 1939, Matisse described the advantages of this medium which allowed him "to consider simultaneously the character of the model, the human expression, the quality of surrounding light, atmosphere and all that can only be expressed by drawing" (quoted in John Elderfield, The Drawings of Matisse, London, 1984, p. 84).