Description

The youthful sitter in this portrait pauses in the midst of drawing a nude ﬁgure to shape his quill pen. On the shelf behind him are pots of paint, a shell probably used to mix pigment and binder, and a bottle of oil. It has often been assumed that this is a self-portrait, given the individualized features, like the mole on the man’s cheek, and the range of artmaking tools throughout the scene. Whether the artist depicted himself or a colleague, the presentation here leaves no doubt as to the profession of this sitter or the painter’s esteem for it.

Provenance

Hilmer Åberg, Sweden until 1928 [according to a letter of September 17, 1982, from Johan Norden, Bukowski-Auktioner, to Ilse Hecht in curatorial files]; sold Bukowski, Stockholm, September 13, 1928, no. 32, to Ball [according to letter cited above]; Max Ball, Berlin, and Z.M. Hackenbroch, Frankfurt, until at least 1930 [according to letter cited above; they lent it jointly to Cologne1930; since no owner is listed in Munich 1931, it was probably still on the market at that time]. Paul Tiocca, Paris, by 1936 [see Fraenger 1936; in a letter dated February 4, 1939 to Charles Worcester, Tiocca stated that the painting had been in his possession for many years]; sold to E. and A. Silberman Galleries, New York, 1937 [according to an article in the Chicago Tribune, May 5, 1937]; sold to Charles H. Worcester, Chicago, 1937 [invoice dated April 16, 1937, in curatorial files]; given to the Art Institute, 1947.