Étude de femme nue (Study of a Recumbent Female Nude)
Maker
Forgery in the manner of
(Artists)
1840-1917
(Artists)
1840-1917
Title
Étude de femme nue (Study of a Recumbent Female Nude)
Date of Production
1917-1920
Medium
graphite and watercolour on wove paper
Dimensions
Height: 27.5 cm
Width: 36.3 cm
Width: 36.3 cm
Accession Number
D.1935.SC.148
Mode of Acquisition
Samuel Courtauld, gift, 1935
Credit
The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)
Copyright
Work in the public domain
Location
Not currently on display
Keywords
Label Text
Rodin’s drawings have been attractive to forgers due to their high value, market appeal and the relative ease of imitating his sketchy lines. These forgeries, however, lack Rodin’s refined simplicity and sense of anatomy. In this drawing, the outlines of the lumpy female nude are heavy-handed, as is the false signature, which shows an uncharacteristically even pressure applied throughout. The loop of the ‘d’ also does not match Rodin’s genuine signature. These features identify this drawing as the work of the forger known as ‘Hand B’.
Provenance
St George's Gallery (London); purchased there by Samuel Courtauld, London (1876-1947),1924; Samuel Courtauld Gift 1935
Exhibition History
Drawings Gallery Display - Reading Drawings, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 21/01/2017-04/06/2017
Mantegna to Cezanne - Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 24/02/1983-19/06/1983
Drawings and engravings from the Courtauld Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1966 ...More
Rodin, an exhibition of sculpture with some drawings and prints, Hatton Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and 7 other cities, 1966-1967
Drawings and Engravings from the Courtauld Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, December 1959-April 1960
Impressionistes de la Collection Courtauld de Londres, Orangerie, Paris, 1955
Samuel Courtauld memorial exhibition, Tate Gallery, London, 1948
long-term loan, City Art Gallery, Wakefield, 1946-1947 ...Less
Mantegna to Cezanne - Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 24/02/1983-19/06/1983
Drawings and engravings from the Courtauld Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1966 ...More
Rodin, an exhibition of sculpture with some drawings and prints, Hatton Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and 7 other cities, 1966-1967
Drawings and Engravings from the Courtauld Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, December 1959-April 1960
Impressionistes de la Collection Courtauld de Londres, Orangerie, Paris, 1955
Samuel Courtauld memorial exhibition, Tate Gallery, London, 1948
long-term loan, City Art Gallery, Wakefield, 1946-1947 ...Less
Literature
John House, Impressionism for England: Samuel Courtauld as Patron and Collector, Courtauld Institute Galleries 1994
no. 108
illus. p. 217
Mantegna to Cezanne: Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 1983
cat. no. 110
illus. p. 111
Drawings and engravings from the Courtauld Collection, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, December 1959-April 1960, 1974 (rev. ed.)
no. 43 ...More
The drawings of Rodin, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1971-1972 New York 1971
p. 176
illus. no. 139 on p. 174
Rodin, an exhibition of sculpture with some drawings and prints, Hatton Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and 7 other cities, 1966-67
cat. no. 46
Drawings and engravings from the Courtauld Collection, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1966
cat. no. 35
illus. pl. VII
Drawings and engravings from the Courtauld Collection, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, Dec. 1959 - Apr. 1960, 1959-1960
cat. no. 35
illus. pl. 7
Impressionistes de la Collection Courtauld de Londres, Orangerie, Paris, 1955
cat. no. 88
illus. pl. 81
Cooper, Douglas, The Courtauld Collection, London 1954
no. 148
illus. pl. 69 ...Less
no. 108
illus. p. 217
Mantegna to Cezanne: Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 1983
cat. no. 110
illus. p. 111
Drawings and engravings from the Courtauld Collection, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, December 1959-April 1960, 1974 (rev. ed.)
no. 43 ...More
The drawings of Rodin, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1971-1972 New York 1971
p. 176
illus. no. 139 on p. 174
Rodin, an exhibition of sculpture with some drawings and prints, Hatton Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and 7 other cities, 1966-67
cat. no. 46
Drawings and engravings from the Courtauld Collection, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1966
cat. no. 35
illus. pl. VII
Drawings and engravings from the Courtauld Collection, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, Dec. 1959 - Apr. 1960, 1959-1960
cat. no. 35
illus. pl. 7
Impressionistes de la Collection Courtauld de Londres, Orangerie, Paris, 1955
cat. no. 88
illus. pl. 81
Cooper, Douglas, The Courtauld Collection, London 1954
no. 148
illus. pl. 69 ...Less
Inscriptions
Watermark: none.
Inscription: Recto: lower right, graphite, underlined, forged signature by 'Hand B': "A Rodin"; lower left corner, graphite, former acc. no.: “9.35”. Verso: written twice, at lower left and right (underlined on the right), graphite: “XI / MM.C.C”.
Collector's mark: none.
Inscription: Recto: lower right, graphite, underlined, forged signature by 'Hand B': "A Rodin"; lower left corner, graphite, former acc. no.: “9.35”. Verso: written twice, at lower left and right (underlined on the right), graphite: “XI / MM.C.C”.
Collector's mark: none.
Information on this object may be incomplete and will be updated as research progresses. We are particularly committed to addressing any discriminatory or offensive language and ideas that might be present in our records. To help improve this record, and to enquire about images of The Courtauld Gallery Collection, please email gallery.collectionsonline@courtauld.ac.uk. Find out more about using and licensing our images.
____________________________