Paul Gauguin

Monotype printed in colors, c. 1899, on wove paper, mounted to card, printed to the edges, in good condition apart from a semi-circular tear in the lower rim of the bowl at right, three very short tears at the upper and right sheet edges

In good condition as catalogued. The length of the semi-circular tear at the lower rim of the bowl at right is circa 2 inches overall. The shorter tears appear at top center and at the middle of the right sheet edge, all measuring circa 4 mm. The paper is laid down to a thin cardboard, the verso of which has scattered foxing, slight soiling and remains of adhesive along three edges
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.

Galerie Druet (1918)
Private Collection, Geneva (acquired from the above circa 1998)

This print relates to the monotype Nature Morte à la cruche et aux fruits (Field 132), which was listed in Richard Field's Paul Gauguin, monotypes exhibition catalogue from 1973 as whereabouts unknown.  It has since appeared at auction three times between 1993 and 2006, at Audap-Solanet, Godeau-Veillet, Christie's London and Christie's New York, respectively.  On each occasion the work has been catalogued as a monotype with watercolor and gouache additions, measuring circa 23 by 29.8 cm, and bearing the provenance of Gustave Fayet.  Brame & Lorenceau, the experts for the Audap-Solanet sale indicated that the image in Field had been mistakenly reversed. 

Both works represent the only known still-lifes of the artist's monotypes, and relate most closely to a canvas executed in 1889 for Vollard titled Théière, cruche et fruits (Wildenstein, no. 591; fig. 1)  The difficulty in determining the precise medium of the works, as well as the immediacy of the overall composition, are both attributable to the rudimentary printing materials used by Gauguin while in Tahiti.  According to Peter Zegers, the artist prepared a matrix using watercolor, pastel and/or gouache, to which he pressed a piece of Japan or wove paper, then ran a spoon along the verso in order to transfer the image.  Because the resultant "dessin-empreinte" was often heightened with hand-coloring, and the matrix frequently required re-working due to the inherent deterioration caused by the process, the images produced are consistently unique.