.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
La petite persane is a costume study based on a Persian or Indian miniature, and forms part of a group of such copies by Géricault dating from 1821-1823. Géricault's pupil, Montfort, describes how, during this time of illness, Géricault "copia patiemment à l'aquarelle, et dans ses moindre détails, plusieurs dessins indiens qui lui avaient été prêtés: ils représentaient des femmes dont il admirait beaucoup la délicatesse et le caractère précis" (C. Clément, Géricault, Paris, 1879, p. 260).
La danseuse on the verso of the sheet has more in common with Géricault's erotic compositions of several years before than with the late watercolour style of the recto. The dancer's body and the gesture of her raised arm correspond to similar features in Géricault's L'enlèvement d'Europe (Bazin IV, nos. 1075-1076) and Paris supplie Oenone (Bazin IV, nos. 1035-1036). On this stylistic basis, Professor Lorenz Eitner has proposed a date of circa 1815-1816 for La danseuse.
Professor Lorenz Eitner has confirmed the authenticity of this work and we are grateful for his assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.
La danseuse on the verso of the sheet has more in common with Géricault's erotic compositions of several years before than with the late watercolour style of the recto. The dancer's body and the gesture of her raised arm correspond to similar features in Géricault's L'enlèvement d'Europe (Bazin IV, nos. 1075-1076) and Paris supplie Oenone (Bazin IV, nos. 1035-1036). On this stylistic basis, Professor Lorenz Eitner has proposed a date of circa 1815-1816 for La danseuse.
Professor Lorenz Eitner has confirmed the authenticity of this work and we are grateful for his assistance in preparing this catalogue entry.