Jul 16, 2020 - Sale 2541

Sale 2541 - Lot 101

Price Realized: $ 750
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 800 - $ 1,200
BEATRICE STEVENS.
"Four Oaks: II. Andante." Illustration from "A Series of Drawings by Beatrice Stevens," published in Scribner's Magazine, vol. 73, no. 4, page 407, April 1923. Pen and ink on thin board. 670x460 mm; 26 1/2x18 inches, on 29 1/4x23-inch sheet. See condition report. Signed "Beatrice Stevens" in lower left image.

This illustration is part of a suite of four drawings where Stevens uses the male nude form in order to capture the spirit of the four movements of classical musical compositions (Allegro, Andante, Scherzo, and Allegro con brio). While the female nude is a common trope in the history of art, the Four Oaks suite is a rare example of an early female illustrator employing the use of the decorative male nude.