Narcissus, 1901

Details

EDWARD STEICHEN (1879–1973)
Narcissus, 1901
platinum print
image/sheet: 6 x 8 in. (15.2 x 20.2 cm.)

Provenance

Gifted by the artist to The Museum of Modern Art, New York, 1970;
Their sale; Sotheby's, New York, April 25, 2001, lot 110;
acquired from the above sale by the present owner.

Special Notice

On occasion, Christie's has a direct financial interest in the outcome of the sale of certain lots consigned for sale. This will usually be where it has guaranteed to the Seller that whatever the outcome of the auction, the Seller will receive a minimum sale price for the work. This is known as a minimum price guarantee. This is such a lot.

Lot Essay

This image is one of several nudes that Steichen made in Paris during this time, including his famous In Memoriam. In none of the images is the face of the model visible, due to the fact that, according to Steichen, even professional models at this time insisted that their faces not be shown. These sensual, mostly dark images were printed either with pigment or in platinum and are each meditative, intimate studies both of the female form and of delicate tonal shifts in the photographic image.

The print offered in the present lot, originally in the collection of The Museum of Modern Art, New York, is one of only two known prints of the image. Both are printed in platinum.

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