Egon Schiele (1890-1918), Reclining Woman, 1916 Gouache, watercolour and pencil on cream wove paper Austria, 1916 Egon Schiele (1890-1918) – Austrian artist Signed and dated lower right „Egon Schiele 1916“ Catalogue Raisonné: Kallir D. 1824b Dimensions: 18 7/8” x 12 ½” (48 x 31.6 cm) Very good and original condition with perfectly preserved colours Provenance: Berlin Private Collection; the complete provenance back to the 1950s and names of the former owners will be exclusively made known to the high bidder; Art Loss Register No. S00066039. Egon Schiele’s Reclining Woman is a pivotal artistic masterpiece from 1916, a period when only very few works were created by the artist. Between 1914 and 1917, Schiele gradually adopted a style that was far more classically realistic and aesthetically appealing than his earlier boldly expressionist works. Reclining Woman marks the start of this trend, setting the flat surface of the woman’s jacket against her delicately modeled flesh. Despite its abstract qualities, however, Reclining Woman has a sculptural presence. Here we see early evidence of a colouring technique that Schiele would exploit to stunning effect in his most famous 1917 watercolours: the flesh is first gently moulded with a translucent brownish wash. The artist then applies a more opaque red and green gouache, highlighting and further shaping areas of key anatomical and emotional significance. The positioning of the body, lying on its stomach, is rather unusual for Schiele’s female sketches. The truncated pose with its focus on the face and extreme foreshortening of the legs, also recurs in later drawings. The drawing was originally published in black and white in the Viennese publication Die Graphischen Künste ; only later colour was added by Schiele who then dated it “1916”. Jane Kallir, internationally renowned expert on Schiele and author of the Egon Schiele catalogue raisonné, says: “This sheet can certainly be considered one of the most spectacular Schiele watercolours to come up for sale in recent years. Because it was stored so long in a light-protected portfolio, the work exhibits luminous colours and an excellent state of preservation.” Mrs. Kallir, after inspecting the work at length in original, attested to its authenticity and issued a certificate for the Catalogue Raisonné (No. D. 1824b) – please find a scan with the photographs of the lot. Reclining woman is executed in gouache, watercolour and pencil on cream wove paper. The sheet, measuring 18 7/8” x 12 1/2” (48 x 31.6 cm), is not laid down and shows no signs of prior restoration. As illustrated, the colours are vibrant, and because the work was stored in a portfolio for decades, it is overall in a stunning state of preservation. The paper shows minor evidence of discolouration, with tiny speckles throughout and a faint water stain in the upper left corner. There are fine creases and minor losses along the right margin, and a horizontal crease running the length of the sheet approximately 2.3” (6 cm) from the lower edge. Possibly the sheet was folded under at the time of its reproduction in Die graphischen Künste . The signature is slightly smudged, partially obscuring the date. None of the aforementioned minor issues in any way affect the image itself. The artwork as a immaculate provenance which goes back a long time and will made fully available to the high bidder. Egon Schiele (1890-1918) Egon Schiele, along with Gustav Klimt and Oskar Kokoschka, is one of the most significant artists of the Wiener Moderne. His exceptional talent was discovered early on. Schiele was accepted to the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna at the young age of 16, leaving after only three years to found the Neukunstgruppe in 1909. In the same year four of his artworks were exhibited at the Internationale Kunstschau . Influenced by Gustav Klimt, whom he first met in 1907, Schiele soon developed a completely unique style. At the age of 20 he was already a mature artist. After leaving Vienna in 1911, Schiele experienced one of his most productive periods. His lifestyle, however, was seen as scandalous outside the capital. He was even imprisoned on charges of ‘public immorality’. Schiele served in the Austrian army during World War I. During his first months of service he had an intermittent access to his Vienna studio. In 1916, however, he was transferred to a POW camp in a remote rural community, and found less time for creative work. Only upon his return to Vienna in 1917 did Schiele’s artistic output return to its prior level. In 1917 and 1918, his work was shown in Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Helsinki. Schiele achieved his breakthrough in 1918 with a group exhibition of the Vienna Secession , where he was able to present a wide selection of paintings and drawings. He subsequently participated in A Century of Viennese Painting at the Kunsthaus Zurich as well as shows in Prague and Dresden. The 28-year-old had just reached the peak of his success when the Spanish Flu took his life along with that of his pregnant wife Edith. Starting Bid :1000000