Lot 170
Benjamin West, P. R. A. (British, 1738-1820), "Seated Female Figure (Probably Study for a Portrait)", probably c. late 1770s/early 1780s, graphite on buff laid paper, unsigned, 7 5/8 in. x 8 1/2 in., in a composite dealer's mount inscribed "from his studio/ D23 917C/ 6 [in a circle]" Provenance: Colnaghi's, London, 1961; James R. Lamantia, Jr., New Orleans and New York. Note: This unusually clear and handsome sketch is a highly characteristic work by West (as its provenance from one of the world's foremost dealerships old master drawings would suggest). Its head is a marvel of economy, with its few pencil strokes establishing the basic profile and cranial structure: its uplifted pose and loose hair, in addition to its concentration on the shadows of the eyelids, below the nose and mouth, and in the shaded neck, are very closely paralleled (for example) on a sheet of studies by West at the Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College. West's trademark gown with its high waist and clinging skirt is similar to that in his Design for a Pediment at the Huntington Library in San Marino, CA; the fall of the bodice across the right breast, and the shape of the girdle, match West's drawing "The Destroying...
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