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Sketch for portrait of a lady (Mme de Gortzikoff?)

Maker

(artist)
1864-1901

Title

Date of Production

(circa) 1893

Medium

blue crayon on wove paper

Dimensions

Height: 10.9 cm
Width: 10.1 cm

Accession Number

D.1978.PG.247

Mode of Acquisition

Count Antoine Seilern, bequest, 1978

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords

Label Text

The lady with an elaborate coiffure shown in this striking blue crayon drawing has been identified as Mme de Gortzikoff, who commissioned her portrait from Toulouse-Lautrec in 1893. As the woman’s face is partially covered by an opulent stole, lending the figure an enigmatic expression, the identification cannot, however, be verified with certainty. The swift and fluent sketch – signed with the artist’s initials at the lower right – vividly demonstrates Toulouse-Lautrec’s mastery in capturing moods, showing his sitter in deep introspection.

Provenance

Maurice Gobin (Paris dealer, 1883-1962) [according to Editart]; Pierre Geismar, Paris (1887-1949) [according to Editart]; exhibited at Galerie Quatre-Chemins Editart (Paris), February 1949; purchased there via Arthur Goldschmidt (Paris) by Count Antoine Seilern, London (1901-1978), November 1949 (per Seilern's letter of 18.01.1956 in the file; however, correspondence with Goldschmidt in the file suggests it was not purchased until July 1950); Princes Gate Bequest 1978

Exhibition History

Special Display - French Drawings of the 19th century, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 08/02/2008-12/06/2008

Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Related Drawings from the
Courtauld Collections, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 11/05/1988-04/09/1988

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1864-1901, Österreichische Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Vienna, 1966 ...More

Dessins de Toulouse-Lautrec, Galerie Quatre-Chemins (Editart), Paris, 1949 (February) ...Less

Literature

Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and Related Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1988
cat. no. 35
as a portrait of Mme de Gortzikoff dated 1893

Dortu, M.G., Toulouse-Lautrec et son oeuvre, New York 1971
no. D.3454
as a recherche for the painting of Mme de Gortzikoff

Seilern, Count Antoine, Corrigenda and Addenda to the Catalogue of paintings and drawings at 56 Princes Gate, London, London 1971
no. 247 ...More

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1864-1901, Österreichische Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Vienna, 1966
cat. no. 46

Seilern, Count Antoine, Paintings and drawings of Continental Schools other than Flemish and Italian at 56 Princes Gate, London SW7, London 1961; III
no. 247
pl. LXXII
as just a lady, based on letters in file from M. Dortu (she later changed her mind and decided it was Gortzikoff) ...Less

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: none.

Inscription: Recto: lower right (within drawing), blue crayon, signed with monogram: “HTL”. Cardboard mount, since removed and now missing but recorded in 1988 cat. entry, Verso: “Size I”; partly cut off: “[…]I[?]-or / […]é ou cérusé”; “6” and a flourished inscription largely cut away at the lower edge.

Collector's mark: none.

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