Dalzell Hatfield Galleries, Los Angeles 
Leigh B. Block, Chicago
Ruth & Harvey Kaplan (acquired from the above circa 1945 and sold: Christie's, New York, May 5, 2005, lot 318)
Acquired at the above sale

Bernard Dorival & Isabelle Rouault, Rouault, L'Oeuvre peint, vol. II, Monaco, 1988, no. 1864, illustrated p. 150

This work is in overall very good condition and has an extraordinarily thick and almost sculptural surface. The canvas is not lined and UV examination reveals no evidence of retouching. There are a few very thin surface cracks in places, the most prominent of which are two diagonal ones either side of the figure's neck.
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.

Executed in 1937, Carlotta belongs to a group of portraits by Rouault depicting prostitutes, circus performers, lawyers and other members of public society. Unlike Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec, who portrayed these individuals with pathos, Rouault's approach was unapologetic and raw. Although Rouault was not a formal member of the Fauve movement, he did embrace its primary tenet in his incorporation of an exaggerated palette. In the present work, several layers of pigment can be discerned, the build-up of translucent and opaque paints creating a three-dimensionality that characterizes Rouault's strongest oeuvre. Furthermore, the work is highlighted by the deep swaths of black ink delineating the subject, representing a signature element of Rouault’s portraiture of this period. Pierre Courthion aptly writes, "When we examine a Rouault, what strikes us first? Above all, the way the paint has been applied: very thickly and with passion, with great sureness, and with spontaneity...the thickly applied pigment achieves a hitherto unknown degree of energy; every form seems to flow directly from the artist's hand into our own sensibility" (Pierre Courthion, Georges Rouault, New York, 1961, p. 234).