La belle servante

Details

Ossip Zadkine (1890–1967)
La belle servante
signed with initials and numbered ‘OZ 5/5’
bronze with dark brown patina
Height: 40 1/8 in. (102 cm.)
Conceived in stone in 1926-1928 and cast in bronze by Susse Fondeur from 1964 in an edition of 4, numbered 2/5 to 5/5 plus 2 épreuves d’artiste

Provenance

Private collection, Switzerland.
Private collection, Belgium, by whom acquired from the above in 2008.

Literature

Selection Chronique De La Vie Artistique, Cahier III, Ossip Zadkine, Anvers, 1928, p. 54 (the stone version illustrated)
A. de Ridder, Zadkine, Paris, 1929 (the stone version illustrated pl. 16).
J. & J. Martel, Sculpture, Paris, 1930 (the stone version illustrated pl. 46).
L'Décor d'aujourd'hui, Paris, 1936, p. 49 (the stone version illustrated).
L'Architecture d'aujourd'hui, Paris, October 1938, p. 77 (the stone version illustrated).
A. M. Hammacher & J. Cassou, L’œuvre de Zadkine, Knokke-le-Zout, 1963 (the stone version illustrated).
I. Jianou, Zadkine, Paris, 1964, p. 80 (the stone version illustrated pl. 40; dated ‘1920').
Musée Zadkine (ed.), Sculptures, Paris, 1989, no. 35b, p. 54 (the stone version illustrated).
S. Lecombre, Ossip Zadkine, l’œuvre sculpté, Paris, 1994, no. 168b, p. 221 (the stone version illustrated).

Special Notice

Artist's Resale Right ("Droit de Suite"). Artist's Resale Right Regulations 2006 apply to this lot, the buyer agrees to pay us an amount equal to the resale royalty provided for in those Regulations, and we undertake to the buyer to pay such amount to the artist's collection agent. Please note that at our discretion some lots may be moved immediately after the sale to our storage facility at Momart Logistics Warehouse: Units 9-12, E10 Enterprise Park, Argall Way, Leyton, London E10 7DQ. At King Street lots are available for collection on any weekday, 9.00 am to 4.30 pm. Collection from Momart is strictly by appointment only. We advise that you inform the sale administrator at least 48 hours in advance of collection so that they can arrange with Momart. However, if you need to contact Momart directly: Tel: +44 (0)20 7426 3000 email: pcandauctionteam@momart.co.uk.

Sale Room Notice

Please note, this bronze was cast by the Susse foundry in 1999 under the control of the Musée Zadkine.

Brought to you by

Michelle McMullan

MMcmullan@christies.com +44 (0)20 7389 2137

Lot Essay

La belle servante is a rare cast, with only four numbered examples and two artist proofs created, one of which resides in the Musée Zadkine in Paris along with the original limestone version. Clear parallels can be seen with other of Zadkine’s best-known subjects from the 1920s, including Woman with a Fan (Musée Zadkine, Paris) and Venus (Tate Galleries, London).

The limestone was carved directly into stone probably sourced by the artist himself in Burgundy, containing shell fragments, and has a wonderfully tactile surface, as do the ensuing bronzes. This beautifully proportioned work shows the influence of Cubism on Zadkine at this time, yet incorporates a curvaceous sensuality and monumental classicism evident with the 1920s Rappel à ordre in the wake of World War One.

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