Estate of the artist
Dina Vierny, Paris
Adler/Castillo, Caracas
Acquired from the above in 1976

John Rewald, Aristide Maillol, London, Paris & New York, illustration of the terracotta pl. 120
Maillol, Exposition-Hommage du Centenaire de sa naissance (exhibition catalogue), Galerie Daber, 1961, illustration of the terracotta pl. 15
Aristide Maillol (exhibition catalogue), Perls Galleries, New York, 1970, no. 58, illustration of another version p. 40
Maillol au Palais des Rois de Majorque (exhibition catalogue), Musée Hyacinthe Rigaud, Perpignan, 1979, illustration of another version p. 110
Aristide Maillol (exhibition catalogue), Palais des Congrès, Perpignan, 2000, illustration of another version pl. 85 

very good condition; some rubbing where expected (edge of base, top of head, left arm & knee)
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 1934, Aristide Maillol met Dina Vierny, a beautiful young woman of Russian origin, who became the artist's muse and brought about a revival in his art towards the end of the 1930s.  Vierny bore a striking resemblance to his earlier models of the 1900s, and she encapsulated Maillol's ideal of feminine beauty.  She became his principal model, and this work is one of the first sculptures for which she posed.  Speaking of her first experiences with the artist, Vierny recounted Maillol's process: "I began posing for large monumental drawings and for the carving of Nymphs. . . Next came The Mountain, for which he returned to projects he had had at the beginning of his life, but with a certain change in the conceptions that determined his work. . . Maillol started out with the pose of a seated woman which he had imagined as early as 1900.  It was a figure to which he often returned in his career, tirelessly seeking to reconstruct the articulation of its volumes.  He sculpted several statuettes before moving on to the monumental figure" (Bertrand Lorquin, Aristide Maillol, New York, 1995, pp. 137-38).  The present cast was formerly owned by Dina Vierny.

Fig. Maillol contemplating La Montagne, 1936