Jan Krugier, Switzerland
Maria Estelrich, New York
Acquired from the above in 1989

Christian Zervos, Pablo Picasso, supplement aux volumes I à V, vol. VI, Paris, 1954, nos. 217 & 218, illustrated pl. 27
The Picasso Project, ed., Picasso's Paintings, Watercolors, Drawings and Sculpture, Youth in Spain II: 1897-1900, San Francisco, 2008, no. 1899-390, illustrated p. 246 (recto), no. 1899-347, illustrated p. 234 (verso)

Recto - Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down, and t-hinged to the mount in two places along the upper edge. The verso is visible through a window mount. The sheet is gently time stained, and there is some mount staining to the extreme edges, not visible when framed. There are some fine lines of flattened creases visible to the upper left corner and one minor line diagonally to the upper right corner. The left, upper and right edges are slightly uneven. Verso - There are some glue remnants in places due to previous mounting and a tape remnant circa 5 cm long to the lower part of the left edge. Otherwise this work is on 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.

“Drawing, to Picasso, means living, with a special kind of life that is often self-sufficient… When he draws, Picasso is surrounded by a multitude of figures that have been his familiars for years. They present themselves, demand his attention and then play a charade for his amusement, and incidentally our own” (Roland Penrose, “Some Recent Drawings by Picasso,” translated in P.S. Falla, ed., A Picasso Anthology, London, 1981, p. 268).  

Pablo Picasso began drawing at an early age, and often sketched scenes from daily life in Barcelona. His father, José Ruiz Blasco, taught art and ensured that Picasso received an art education by enrolling him in the School of Fine🥃 Art in Coruña. Picasso studied life-drawing and decorative drawing there from 1892 to 1894. 

Picasso soon rejected his academic training in favor of a more cartoonish style that he had seen in newspapers. Werner Spies writes, “Picasso the artist clearly grew up as a child of the nineteenth-century academic tradition. It is equally clear that even before his contact with the avant-garde of his day he rebelled so strongly against that tradition that the rebellion itself reveals his true personality” (Werner Spies, Picasso: Pastels-Dessins-Aquarelles, Paris, 1986, p. 12). 

The pastel and crayon drawing of the woman in Espagnole Assise perfectly exemplifies Picasso’s interest in drawing studies of everyday people he encountered on the street. Picasso executed the present work utilizing heavy lines to articulate his figures, thus powerfully displaying the quality and drama of his draughtsmanship. Picasso drew mostly from memory, so the subjects in this work are a result of his conceptualization, rather than realistic depictions. He often sketched figures like these for his own illustrated periodicals, such as La Coruña and Azul y Blanco.