7086 - Schlichter, Rudolf

Schlichter, Rudolf The Nurse I Pencil on vellum. Circa 1930. 59 x 42.3 cm. Faded stamp on the reverse, inscribed there (partly illegibly) as “B 404.” The syringe is ready for injection; the austere nurse’s uniform and high-collared button-up boots combine to create an image of dominance that Schlichter intended to be distinctly sexual: he had masochistic tendencies and was a fetishist. His fascination with female figures of authority is evident in the fact that motifs such as nurses, teachers, or women in uniforms appear frequently in his work, which is shaped by his personal obsession. The boots—Schlichter’s preferred fetish object—are, with their elegance and long rows of small buttons, significantly more detailed and even more lovingly rendered than the high-necked uniform of the seated nurse. Rudolf Schlichter, a representative of New Objectivity, expresses his fascination with buttoned boots in a series of small sketches, including those in the collection of the Stuttgart State Gallery (Inv. No. C 2020/5812–5817). Provenance: Winterberg, Heidelberg, auction April 23, 2005, Lot 1324 Private collection, Southern Germany - Please request condition reports for the lots, as the condition is usually not specified in the catalog. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.