Cassatt, Mary. BEFORE THE FIREPLACE. NO. 1. Breeskin 64. Soft-grpund etching and aquatint, c. 1882. State 2 (of 3) with the light tone added, and the profile still indistinct. Signed in pencil. with the collection stamp of Robert Hartshorne (Lugt 2215b) verso, and with his initials and other annotations at the lower edge of the sheet, recto. 6 7/16 x 8 1/16 inches, 164 x 205 mm. Hartshorne was a prominent collector, and his collection included a nearly complete aggregation of Cassatt's prints. He died in 1922, and in 1945 and 1946 his son sold a large part of the collection through Parke-Bernet in New York. In 2007, Christie's sold 70 Cassatt works at auction which had come from descendants of Robert Hartshorne. As this proof was not among those sold in the 2007 sale, it is likely that it was included in one of the earlier sales at Parke-Bernet. A skilffully replaced piece in the bottom margin, else in very good condition. Scarce.
