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Prowling Cat; verso: Male Nude Figure Study and Reclining Cat Study

Prowling Cat; verso: Male Nude Figure Study and Reclining Cat Study

(French (born in Switzerland), 1859–1923)
undated
Medium/TechniquePastel (recto) and black chalk (verso) on brown wove paper
DimensionsSheet: 65 x 50 cm (25 9/16 x 19 11/16 in. )
Credit LineHarriet Otis Cruft Fund
Accession number67.21
On View
Not on view
ClassificationsDrawings
Description
For Steinlen, the curvilinear form of the cat was the animal equivalent to the art nouveau lily.  As well as the form and line, Steinlen could capture the way of the cat - its mood and motion -  through the flick of a tail or watchful stare.
InscriptionsIn black chalk, l.r.: Steinlen
ProvenanceThe artist; by descent to his daughter, Madame Pierre Roger Desormière, Paris; 1967, sold by Madame Pierre Roger Desormière to the MFA for Fr. 7,500. (Accession Date: January 11, 1967)