Ambroise Vollard, Paris
Robert de Bolli, Paris (acquired by 1965)
Grandclaudon Collection, Paris
Mlle Lehman (acquired from the above in 1991)
Private Collection

Paris, Galerie Charpentier, Rouault: Peintures inconnues ou célèbres, 1965, no. 74, illustrated in the catalogue

Pierre Courthion, Georges Rouault, New York, 1962, fig. 271, illustrated p. 431
Bernard Dorival & Isabelle Rouault, Rouault: l'oeuvre peint, vol. II, New York, 1988, no. 2037, illustrated p. 178

Oil on paper laid down on canvas. The surface retains a rich and textured impasto throughout the composition. Under UV light: certain pigments fluoresce but no inpainting is apparent. Overall the work is in excellent 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.

Painted in 1937, Polichinelle exemplifies Rouault's preoccupation with clowns, subjects to which the artist returned throughout his career. The particular clown in the present work is the archetypical Polichinelle, the French version of the Italian Commedia dell'arte character Pulcinella. Clowns were, according to Lionello Venturi: "the dream of Rouault's life." These nomadic entertainers represented freedom and naiveté, and were for Rouault a release from his focus on prostitutes and other darker images of life. The clown was a craftsman practicing an art uncomplicated by the problems of the day. Venturi continues, "When [Rouault] paints clowns, however, the grotesque becomes amiable, even lovable...colors grow rich and resplendent, almost as if the artist, laying aside his crusader's arms for a moment, were relaxing in the light of the sun and letting it flood into his work" (Lionello Venturi, Rouault, Lausanne, 1959, pp. 21 & 51).

Fig. 1  Édouard Manet, Polichinelle, oil on canvas, 1873, Private Collection