Galerie St. Etienne, New York

Private Collection

Sale: Sotheby's New York, May 11, 1994, lot 46

Acquired at the above sale by A. Alfred Taubman

Vienna, Akademie der Bildenden Kunste (and traveling), Egon Schiele, com Schuler zum Meister: Zeichnungen und Aquarelle, 1906-1918, 1984-1986, no. 47, illustrated

Rome, Pinacoteca Capitolina Campidoglio (and traveling), Egon Schiele, 1984-1987, no. 110, illustrated

Jane Kallir, Egon Schiele: The Complete Works, New York, 1990, no. D. 964, illustrated p. 457

Jane Kallir, Egon Schiele: The Complete Works, New York, 1998, no. D.964, illustrated p. 457

Please contact the Impressionist and Modern Art Department at (212) 606-7360 for the condition report for this lot.
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.

This work is one of six watercolors of naked couples embracing executed during 1911 (Kallir, nos. 961-3, 971-2). Jane Kallir suggests that, while it is difficult to identify many of the female models used by Schiele at this date, "... in drawings of couples (Kallir, nos. 961-972)... it is likely that the corresponding male figure... is none other than the artist himself" (Kallir p. 43). Kallir points out the gradual changes in Schiele's drawing style at this date: "Schiele's  1911 oeuvre is distinguished by an unusual emphasis on the pictorial background which surrounds the principal figures. From the start of the year the figure (s) tend to fill the page, with pose and drapery often extended to the corners... ill-defined supporting structures — trapezoidal 'pillow's .. augment the figures' dominance of the sheet.. Perhaps in consort with his desire for more elaborate compositions, Schiele from late 1910 to mid-1911 occasionally employs a larger than normal sheet measuring approximately 22 by 14 inches....The bold lines of early 1911 gradually appear to fly apart, creating a disjointed effect that distinguishes them from those of 1910.... At the same time, the lines become softer and more delicate, the figures less jagged and boxy... harder leads contribute to the ethereal quality of Schiele's new lines" (J. Kallir, op. cit. p. 433).