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Lot Essay
Liegendes jünges Mädchen, Halbakt was drawn by Schiele in 1912, with the fine, delicate contour lines, typical of the first half of that year. As Kallir has pointed out (op. cit, p. 461), the uncharacteristic looseness and tenousness in his style suggest a phase of psychological stress, even more evident in the 'prison works', executed during his 24 days of imprisonment in the spring of 1912. The ductus is here fluid and light, striving to define soft curves (as visible in the junction between the left shoulder and arm), and underline the erotic appeal of the figure's volumes.
The colouring of this work, though, was applied by another hand, as suggested by Kallir's entry (loc. cit.). This addition was possibly contemporary to the original drawing, since we know that anonymous artists filled-out Schiele's graphic creations since the beginning of the 1910s. Kallir has observed, 'From the start, Schiele's watercolors were priced higher than his uncolored drawings, and this led to the temptation to embellish his creations in order to increase their value' (ibid., p. 262).
The present work has a distinguished provenance, having been housed in two very prominent Northern American collections. It was first owned by the legendary Schiele collector Serge Sabarsky, and subsequently acquired by Dr Eugene Solow, whose collection was exhibited at the Chicago Art Institute in 1988. Selected works from the Solow Estate were offered at Christie's in two separate auctions, in May and November 1996, where Liegendes jünges Mädchen was bought by the present owner.
The colouring of this work, though, was applied by another hand, as suggested by Kallir's entry (loc. cit.). This addition was possibly contemporary to the original drawing, since we know that anonymous artists filled-out Schiele's graphic creations since the beginning of the 1910s. Kallir has observed, 'From the start, Schiele's watercolors were priced higher than his uncolored drawings, and this led to the temptation to embellish his creations in order to increase their value' (ibid., p. 262).
The present work has a distinguished provenance, having been housed in two very prominent Northern American collections. It was first owned by the legendary Schiele collector Serge Sabarsky, and subsequently acquired by Dr Eugene Solow, whose collection was exhibited at the Chicago Art Institute in 1988. Selected works from the Solow Estate were offered at Christie's in two separate auctions, in May and November 1996, where Liegendes jünges Mädchen was bought by the present owner.