Georges Braque

Aimé Maeght, Paris
Sale: Sotheby's, London, November 25, 1959
Georg Waechter Memorial Foundation, Geneva (acquired at the above sale and until at least 1996)

Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, Braque, 1945, no. 22
Paris, Galerie Maeght, Braque, 1947, no. 4
Copenhagen, Udstillingen ved Charlottenborg; Stockholm, Galerie Blanche (l'Association pour l'Art Français), 1949
Basel, Kunsthalle, Braque, 1960, no. 70
Paris, Exposition de l'Impressionisme à l'Ecole de Paris, 1960, no. 9
Geneva, Musée de l'Athénée, Braque, 1960
Munich, Haus der Kunst, Georges Braque, 1963, no. 103
Paris, Orangerie des Tuileries, Chefs-d'oeuvre de collections suisses de Manet à Picasso, 1967, no. 225
Paris, Musée de Louvre, Georges Braque, 1973-74
Munich, Kunsthalle, Georges Braque, 1988, no. 51
New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Georges Braque, 1988, no. 59  

Cahiers d'Art, 1940-1944, Paris, illustrated p. 106
Stanislas Fumet, Georges Braque, Paris, 1945, illustrated p. 15
Jean Paulhaun, Braque le Patron, Geneva, 1947, illustrated p. 165
Galerie Maeght, Ed., Catalogue de l'Oeuvre de Georges Braque, Peintures 1936-1941, 1961, illustrated pl. 92

In good stable condition. Canvas is lined. Under UV light, the work shows some broad strokes of inpainting to address some thinly painted areas. These strokes do not seem to address particular problems and may benefit from the attention of a conservator. These strokes are visible under UV light in the green rectangle at right, the background of the white flowered segment, and in a 4-inch diameter area between the pitcher and cheese plate. A few strokes in the funnel and knife handle.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In the decades following the invention of Cubism, Braque continued to refine and re-examine the expressive possibilities of his still lifes, always creating innovative ways to represent common objects. In this composition from the late 1930s, Braque literally sheds new light on the subject. The objects on the table are spotlighted in the center of the picture, and the background is left in varying degrees of shadow. Constrasts of light and dark add facets to forms that would otherwise appear flat, and Braque maximizes this effect by abruptly changing the tone of a single object. Take, for example, the two-toned bottle on the left, which appears to be bifurcated by the sharp edge of light and shadow. The other forms -- the bowl, the knife, the loaf of bread, and the pipe -- all radiate from the center of the table into the darker surrounding space, enhancing the picture's depth and dimension.

Braque's paintings of the early 1940s, including the present work, were bolder and more compositionally dynamic than his works from the first years of the 1930s.  By the time he painted this picture, the artist's mood was more enlivened, resulting in fresh and reinvigorated compositions.

Figure 1, The artist