HARRIS SCHRANK FINE PRINTS » Mary Cassatt

Afternoon Promenade – Etching and Preliminary Drawing

Harris Schrank — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:10:11 +0000

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), Afternoon Promenade, soft ground etching and preliminary transfer drawing, ca. 1881. Reference: Breeskin 33, second (final) state. Printed on laid paper, watermark ARCHES. Also the transfer drawing for Afternoon Promenade, pencil on thin wove paper. The etching 11 x 8 1/2, the drawing on paper 12 1/2 x 16 inches.

Provenance for the etching: Edgar Degas, Paris (Lugt 657)

Provenance for drawing and etching: Robert Hartshorne, New York (Lugt 2215b), thence by descent

The drawing is mentioned by Breeskin under no. 33.

Drawing - recto

Drawing - verso

Manicure

Harris Schrank — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:32:27 +0000

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), The Manicure, drypoint, circa 1908, signed in pencil lower left. Reference: Breeskin 199, first state (of 2).In very good condition, printed on laid paper with margins, 8 3/8 x 6, the sheet 12 3/4 x 9 inches.

Provenance: Robert Hartshorne, New York (with his stamp verso, Lugt 2215b).

A fine delicately printed impression, printed in a dark brownish/black ink, with touches of burr from the drypoint work in many places, and a very subtle veil of plate tone.

Robert Hartshorne collected fine examples of work by artists such as Degas, Cezanne, Matisse, and Picasso, and was known for his particularly distinguished collection of Cassatt prints.

Although Manicure is frequently seen in the later second state restrike impressions, first state impressions are exceedingly rare.

Detail

Lydia Looking Toward the Right, Trees Beyond

Harris Schrank — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:51:37 +0000

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), Lydia Looking Toward the Right, Trees Beyond, etching, c. 1881. Breeskin 52, only state. In generally good condition, with full margins, on Van Gelder paper. 7 3/4 x 4 5/8, the sheet 14 1/2 x 11 inches.

Provenance: Robert Hartshorne, NY, with his stamp verso (Lugt 2215b).

A fine impression of this great rarity.

Lydia was Mary Cassatt’s sister.

The Fitting

Harris Schrank — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:02:29 +0000

Mary Cassatt (1844 -1926), The Fitting, 1890-91, drypoint and aquatint in colors on laid paper; 14 3/4 x 9 7/8 inches (375 x 252 mm),

signed in pencil with monogram, watermark PL Bas. Reference: Breeskin 147; Mathews & Shapiro 9 seventh (final) state.

Provenance:

Kennedy Galleries New York, 1963

Catherine Gamble Curran, New York

The ten color aquatints that Cassatt produced for the third exhibition of the Société des Peintres-Graveurs in April 1891 have long been considered among the most significant achievements of her career. Much has been written about the synergy of influences which gave rise to these startlingly innovative images. Cassatt’s close relationship with Degas and Pissarro at a time when all three artists were engaged in making prints provided a fertile environment for experimentation and technical development. Further, the seminal exhibition of Japanese prints which opened in Paris at the École des Beaux-Arts in April of 1890 elicited fervent responses from both Degas and Cassatt. The graceful Japanese figures, sumptuous colors and flat patterning resonated with Cassatt and propelled her to create the ten color drypoints which are unparalleled in her graphic oeuvre.

The Fitting is among the more complex images of the set, combining the oblique perspective, the juxtaposition of patterns and the device of a reflection in a mirror to create visual tension. The subtly elegant hues are stunningly original. Cassatt mixed the colors herself and painted them directly onto the plate altering them in each impression. The dress that is being fitted is the same design as seen in Woman Holding a Zinnia (1892), suggesting that Cassatt had clothes made for her models so that they would appear in the latest fashion.

There are color variations even within the impressions of the final state. Here, the pale green of the wallpaper is balanced against the subtle grayish blue of the lines in the dress, a tone that then continues as the “fond” of the floor. The floral pattern intertwined green and rose, with the brown of the dressmaker’s dress creates a dark accent which is balanced by the slightly more reddish brown of the young woman’s hair.

Baby and Nurse Reclining

Harris Schrank — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 23:35:41 +0000

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), Baby and Nurse Reclining, drypoint, c. 1886, signed in pencil with initials lower right. Reference: Breeskin 91, only state. On Britannia Lifeline paper, in very good condition, with irregular margins, a few tiny foxmarks, some nicks and small tears left margin edge, remains of prior hinging right edge verso, 7 3/4 x 5 7/8 inches, the sheet 13 x 8 inches.

Provenance: Robert Hartshorne, New York (Lugt 2215b).

A fine atmospheric impression, printed with a substantial layering of plate tone.

Impressions of Baby and Nurse Reclining are rare; indeed we know of no other impressions to appear on the art market over the past 25 years.

Mary Cassatt regarded printmaking as a developmental activity, a way to grow as an artist, much in line with her colleague Edgar Degas. On the medium of drypoint, she said: “That is what teaches one to draw.” Prints such as Baby and Nurse Reclining – made a few years before the color aquatints that have become so popular – were not editioned but created in only a few impressions, and printed personally by Cassatt.