Lot 178 Dα

Helene Nesnakomoff (1886-1965), whom Marianne von Werefkin has depicted here twice, was the artist's housekeeper and her only nude model. She had already entered the household of the wealthy von Werefkin family in Lithuania in 1895; that is where Alexei von Jawlensky, who had been Marianne von Werefkin's lover since 1892, met Helene during a visit. Werefkin and Jawlensky moved to Munich one year later, and Helene accompanied the couple as their personal servant. A ménage à trois developed between them, and in 1902 a son was born to Jawlensky and Helene. The two married in Wiesbaden in 1922 after the separation from Werefkin. Helene often posed as a model for both artists, and various portraits of her exist.
In these two works the artist has used quick, confident strokes to draw the woman to whom she was tied in such an explosive manner. Helene's seemingly Japanese hairstyle featuring a bun can be recognised in the gouache on the recto of the sheet: it may illustrate Werefkin's interest in Japanese art, which she shared with many fellow artists.