Henri Matisse
Woman Leaning on Her Hands
1904
Scroll
Henri Matisse
Woman Leaning on Her Hands
1904
Physical Qualities
Bronze, 4 7/8 x 9 3/8 x 6 3/8 in. (12.4 x 23.8 x 16.2 cm.)
Credit Line
The Cone Collection, formed by Dr. Claribel Cone and Miss Etta Cone of Baltimore, Maryland
Object Number
1950.424
Here Matisse creates a complex pose with the figure twisted so her limbs radiate outward and appear to spin around a central axis. With no base, the sculpture is rooted directly to the ground, supported on oversized hands, which have been variously described as paws or suction pads.
Although she is dressed in a modern shirt, the figure appears from certain angles to be wearing a loose-fitting toga or classical shift. Thus, as one circles around the sculpture, one finds a figure hovering between the classical and contemporary worlds or belonging, perhaps, to both. This sculpture is one of only two clothed figures Matisse produced.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by bequest, 1949; Etta Cone, Baltimore, by purchase from the artist, 1922.
"Matisse Sculpture", Curt Valentin Gallery, New York, Febuary 10-March 2, 1953.
"Four Americans in Paris: The Collection of Gertrude Stein and her Family", MoMA, December 18, 1970-March 1, 1971; The Baltimore Museum of Art, April 4-June 13, 1971; San Francisco Museum of Art, September 15-October 31, 1971.
"The Sculpture of Matisse", MoMA February 24-May 8, 1972; Walker Art Center, June 20- August 6, 1972; University Art Museum, Berkeley, Sepember 18-October 29, 1972.
"Cone Collection", Wildenstein Gallery, New York, March 29-May 4, 1974.
Brenda Richardson, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, "Matisse in The Collection of The Baltimore Museum of Art", August 24-October 14, 1979.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, The Denver Art Museum, "Matisse from The Baltimore Museum of Art", March 11, 2000-June 25, 2000; circulated to the Birmingham Museum of Art, July 23, 2000-September 17, 2000; The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, October 10, 2000-January 28, 2001.
"Henri Matisse", Institut Valencià d'Art Modern, Valencià, Spain, October 23, 2003-Janauary 11, 2004.
Dorothy Kosinski, Jay McKean Fisher, Steven Nash; BMA, Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, "Matisse: Painter as Sculptor", Dallas, January 21-April 29, 2007; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, June 9-September 16, 2007; The Baltimore Museum of Art, October 28, 2007-February 3, 2008, no. 24.
"Four Americans in Paris: The Collection of Gertrude Stein and her Family", MoMA, December 18, 1970-March 1, 1971; The Baltimore Museum of Art, April 4-June 13, 1971; San Francisco Museum of Art, September 15-October 31, 1971.
"The Sculpture of Matisse", MoMA February 24-May 8, 1972; Walker Art Center, June 20- August 6, 1972; University Art Museum, Berkeley, Sepember 18-October 29, 1972.
"Cone Collection", Wildenstein Gallery, New York, March 29-May 4, 1974.
Brenda Richardson, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, "Matisse in The Collection of The Baltimore Museum of Art", August 24-October 14, 1979.
The Baltimore Museum of Art, The Denver Art Museum, "Matisse from The Baltimore Museum of Art", March 11, 2000-June 25, 2000; circulated to the Birmingham Museum of Art, July 23, 2000-September 17, 2000; The Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, October 10, 2000-January 28, 2001.
"Henri Matisse", Institut Valencià d'Art Modern, Valencià, Spain, October 23, 2003-Janauary 11, 2004.
Dorothy Kosinski, Jay McKean Fisher, Steven Nash; BMA, Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, "Matisse: Painter as Sculptor", Dallas, January 21-April 29, 2007; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, June 9-September 16, 2007; The Baltimore Museum of Art, October 28, 2007-February 3, 2008, no. 24.
Christian Zervos, 'Sculpture des Peintre D'Aujourd'hui,' "Cahier D'Art," no. 7, Paris 1928, (3rd year), p. 279.
Etta Cone, "The Cone Collection of Baltimore, Maryland," (Baltimore: BMA, 1934) pl. #119a.
'Cone Bequest,' "BMA News," October, 1949, p. 24, no. 111.
Alfred H. Barr, Jr., "Matisse: His Art and His Public," (New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1951) 100, 148, 326, 557.
"Handbook of the Cone Collection," (Baltimore: BMA, 1955) 45, no. 144.
"Handbook of the Cone Collection, Revised Edition," (Baltimore: BMA, 1967) no. 133.
Albert Elsen, 'The Sculpture of Matisse,' "Art Forum," vol. VII, # 2, Oct. 1968, p. 22f.
Albert Elsen, "The Sculpture of Matisse," (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1972) 61- 63, 69.
Legg, Alicia. The Sculpture of Matisse. New York, NY: Museum of Modern Art, 1972, cat. no. 17, page 16.
Isabelle Monod-Fontaine, "The Sculpture of Henri Matisse," (London: The Arts Council of Great Britain, 1984) cat. # 15.
Jack Flam, "Matisse The Man and His Art 1869-1918," (Ithaca & London: Cornell University Press, 1986) 180, ill. 170.
Soria, Martine. Henri Matisse. [Valencia]: Institut Valencià d'Art Modern; BBVA, [2003], pages 144-145.
Sven Bjerkhof, "Matisse Masterpieces at Statens Museum For Kunst." Denmark: Statens Museum Kunst, 2005:99, ill.
Jay Fisher, 'Learning to See in 3D,' "Newsletter of the Print, Drawing & Photograph Society of the BMA," Fall 2007, Vol. XXV, No. 2, p. 6, ill.
'Matisse in 3D,' "BMA Today," Winter 2007-2008, ill. p. 4.
Dorothy Kosinski, Jay McKean Fisher, Steven Nash, "Matisse: Painter as Sculptor," (Yale University Press: New Haven and London, 2007) cat. no. 24, p. 268, ill. pp. 127, 128.
Cozzi, Leslie and Katherine Rothkopf (eds). "A Modern Influence: Henri Matisse, Etta Cone, and Baltimore." Baltimore: The Baltimore Museum of Art, 2021. ill.
Inscribed: "H. M ["To" or "/10" faint] 5/10"-- It is inscribed on the proper left thigh.
Markings: No foundry mark. The "/10" or "To" described under inscriptions appears to be cast through from another cast.
