Thomas Ammann Fine Art, Zurich
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, May 16, 1984, lot 144
Purchased at the above sale by the late owner

Paris, Galerie Octave Negru, Egon Schiele: Dessins et Aquarelles, 1976, no. 13, illustrated in the catalogue
Berlin, Galerie Pels-Leusden, Europaische Meisterzeichnungen und Aquarelle (1878-1978), 1978-79, no. 160, illustrated in the catalogue
New York, Gagosian Gallery, Egon Schiele: Nudes, 1994, no. 13, illustrated in the catalogue

Jane Kallir, Egon Schiele: The Complete Works, New York, 1990, no. D.877, illustrated p. 447
Jane Kallir, Egon Schiele: The Complete Works, New York, 1998, no. D.877, illustrated p. 447

Executed on buff-coloured wove paper, not laid down. The sheet is hinged to the mount at two places along the verso of the upper edge. The sheet is gently undulating and there are handling creases throughout, notably towards the upper edge and in the lower left and right corners. The sheet is time-stained and there are a few scattered spots of foxing. There is an artist's pinhole towards the centre of the upper edge. A free faint media stains, possibly studio, are visible towards the upper left edge and towards the lower left corner. This work is in 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Sitzendes Mädchen mit erhobenem Bein, dating from 1911, depicts one of the numerous young models Schiele used for his works around this time. The sitter is wearing a dark-blue dress that is slightly lifted showing her underskirt with crimson edges. Her expressive facial features are characteristic of the artist’s avant-garde style and his rendering of the human visage. His friend, the artist Albert Paris von Gütersloh, recalled: '… there were always two or three smaller or larger girls in [Schiele’s] studio; girls from the neighbourhood, from the street, …, some ugly, some attractive, some washed, but also some unwashed. … they slept, …combed their closely cropped or tangled hair, pulled their skirts down or up, tied or untied their shoelaces. They feared nothing from the paper that lay next to Schiele on the sofa, and the young man was always playing with the pencil or the brush. … Suddenly, and although he didn’t appear to have been paying attention at all, he would say very softly … ‘stop!’. And now, as if under the spell of his magic, they froze as they were – lying, standing, kneeling, relaxing, tying or untying, pulling down or up, combing themselves or scratching themselves — as though they had been banished to timelessness or covered with lava, and then, in a twinkling, brought back to life' (quoted in J. Kallir, Egon Schiele. Life and Work, New York, 2003, p. 75).