Egon Schiele - EGON SCHIELE – Melanie Schiele Litografia dalla cartella Egon Schiele 1890–1918 – Siedler Wien, 1990

Rarefied and refined lithograph on Japanese paper depicting Melanie Schiele, portrait of Egon Schiele's elder sister (1890–1918).

The work belongs to the prestigious portfolio “Egon Schiele 1890–1918,” published in Vienna in 1990 by the Austrian publisher Siedler, in collaboration with the Dorotheum Museum of Vienna, on the occasion of the major retrospective devoted to Schiele organized in Japan at the Metropolitan Art Museum in Tokyo. The portfolio comprises 10 lithographs, created by reproducing original works by the artist.

An element of particular importance

The feature that makes this edition especially interesting for the collector is its authorization by the heirs of Egon Schiele.

The 1990 Siedler portfolio is in fact documented in the records of major auction houses as “the only posthumous work authorized by the heirs” of Egon Schiele.

This aspect significantly distinguishes these lithographs from the numerous commercial reproductions produced subsequently from Schiele's works.

The edition consists of 600 numbered copies and was printed in Vienna by Reichl & Partner and published by Siedler Wien. The individual plates bear the artist’s signature reproduced on the plate, while the original portfolio was accompanied by the publisher’s authentication documents.

The subject: Melanie Schiele

The plate depicts Melanie Schiele, the artist's elder sister. The portrait presents the young woman’s face facing forward, with a composed and intense expression, characterized by an elaborate hairstyle and a very delicate graphic line.

The image belongs to a relatively classical phase of Schiele’s production, in which a particular attention to the construction of the face and the psychological rendering of the subject can be discerned. The artist's later evolution would lead to the more nervous, distorted, and expressionist line for which Schiele is universally known.

The lithograph reproduces an original work by Schiele today referred to as the portrait of Melanie Schiele. Market sources sometimes date the original to 1906, while the Wien Museum catalogs the drawing Mädchenkopf (Melanie Schiele) to 1908, according to its museum label. For prudent commercial notice, it is therefore preferable not to emphasize the date of the original unless supported by the relevant source.

TECHNICAL DATA
Field Data
Artist Egon Schiele (1890–1918)
Title Melanie Schiele
Subject Melanie Schiele, sister of the artist
Technique Lithography on Japanese paper
Edition 600 copies
Year of edition 1990
Publisher Siedler Wien
Printer Reichl & Partner, Vienna
Collaboration Dorotheum Museum, Vienna
Portfolio Egon Schiele 1890–1918
Number of plates in portfolio 10
Signature Signature reproduced on the plate
Authorization Authorized by the heirs of Egon Schiele
Edition feature Indicated in auction sources as the only posthumous work authorized by the heirs
Print run 600 copies