Reclining Nude
Jean-Jacques Henner·n.d.
Historical Context
This Reclining Nude by Jean-Jacques Henner exemplifies the French academic tradition of the female nude that flourished throughout the nineteenth century. Henner, born in Alsace, won the Prix de Rome in 1858 and spent years studying in Italy, where the works of Correggio and Titian profoundly influenced his warm, sfumato technique. He became one of the most celebrated painters of the female form in Second Empire and Third Republic France.
Technical Analysis
The oil on canvas shows Henner's distinctive technique of building form through warm, glowing layers of color with extremely soft transitions. The figure emerges from a dark background with Correggesque sfumato, while the flesh tones display his characteristic amber and rose palette.
Provenance
(Fishel, Adler and Schwartz, New York); J.S. Aron; (sale, American Art Association, New York, 24 February 1921, no. 7).[1] William R. Timken [1866-1949], New York; by inheritance to his widow, Lillian Guyer Timken [1881-1959], New York; bequest 1960 to NGA. [1]The _American Art Annual_, volume xviii (1921), p. 261 records the painting as having been sold, but does not record the buyer, nor has an annotated copy of the auction catalogue been discovered. It might have been Timken or an agent, as the Timkens were acquiring objects in New York around this time.
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