Robert  Bollt, New York (acquired directly from the artist)

New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Planar Dimension: Europe, 1912-1932, 1979, no. 18, illustrated in the catalogue

Alan G. Wilkinson, The Sculpture of Jacques Lipchitz, a Catalogue Raisonné, The Paris Years, 1910-1940, vol. I, New York, 1996, no. 32, illustrated p. 42

The work has a golden brown patina. The surface is clean and shows the chasing of the artist's process. This 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.
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This unique sculpture of a standing harlequin was conceived in 1915, six years after Lipchitz's arrival in Paris from Vilna in 1909. He received a traditional training at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Academie Julian, but early in his career displayed an interest in a wide range of sculptural styles, from classical to tribal. During his early years in Paris, Lipchitz met many of the leading figures of the Parisian avant-garde who introduced him to new artistic interpretations, including the techniques of Cubism.

By 1915 Lipchitz had developed an attuned sense of spatial composition influenced largely by his study of the Cubist works of Picasso, Braque and Gris. The artist was now able to translate effectively his two-dimensional conceptions into a three-dimensional form. Lipchitz utilized themes from the Commedia dell'arte that had become common currency in the work of Picasso, Gris and many of their contemporaries. He referred to this interest in his autobiography: "One of the first sculptures made in 1919 was the Arlequin à l'accordéon.  It reflects my interest in eighteenth century paintings, particularly that of Watteau... The Pierrots and harlequins were part of our general vocabulary, characters taken from the Commedia dell'arte, particularly popular in the eighteenth century. We may have been attracted to them originally because of their gay traditional costumes, involving many different colored areas" (Jacques Lipchitz, My Life in Sculpture, New York, 1972, p. 58).