Pablo Picasso

Marlborough Fine Art, London
Acquired from the above by the present owner on 14th October 1954

London, Marlborough Fine Art, 1954, no. 1, illustrated in the catalogue
Liverpool, Tate Gallery, A Secret History of Clay, 2004, illustrated in the catalogue

Georges Ramié, Picasso Ceramics, London, 1975, no. 169, illustration of another example p. 277
Alain Ramié, Picasso: Catalogue of the Edited Ceramic Works, 1947-1971, Madoura, 1988, no. 114, illustration of another example p. 63
Marilyn McCully, Ceramics by Picasso, Paris, 1999, illustration of other examples p. 308-9

Apart from a very small vertical hairline crack, approximately 3cm. long, and a very small chip, both to the rim, the work is in very good condition. There are a few isolated areas of discoloration which are inherent to the artist's materials, and some surface dirt overall. Colours: Fairly accurate in the printed catalogue.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

MAURICE COOOKE (1915-2010)

'Maurice Cooke bought his first picture in 1946; he was 32, in his first year at Oxford, reading history. He had taken a degree in Law in the '30s and was articled to a solicitor when war was declared. Immediately he enlisted and spent the next 5 years in India, mostly on the North West frontier. A significant event was finding a book on Henry Moore in a Bombay bookshop – the first of the Lund Humphries volumes of Moore's Collected Works. It stimulated a passion that was to last for the rest of his long life.

Leaving Oxford, he was appointed to a lectureship in the Institutions of Government at Bangor University but almost immediately he began to develop his interest in Art and Architecture, its history and aesthetic appeal. By good fortune he was able to convert this into his work in the History Department, becoming a Senior Lecturer in the History of Art.

Visiting London regularly from the early '50s, he found himself drawn to collecting and nearly always found something to buy. Sculpture was a major interest, but he also bought pictures, books and volumes of facsimile drawings. Many of his acquisitions were 'modern' British works produced since 1945.  He had no special policy; he bought what attracted him, what he could hang or stand in his rooms in Bangor and what, he considered, would have lasting aesthetic value. He rarely regretted a purchase.

Parting with most of the major items in the collection has not been easy. I hope that others will now be able to see and enjoy them as much as we, and our family, have done.'

Ann Cooke (wife of Maurice Cooke), October 2010
(see 20th Century British Art sale, Sotheby's, London, 15th December 2010, lots 1-16, for further works from the Estate of the late Maurice Cooke).

Picasso's series of 25 Grand Vase aux Danseurs was executed shortly after the artist moved to Vallauris with François Gilot in 1948. A sleepy town which had been a traditional pottery centre of some importance since Roman, and possibly Greek times, Picasso's surroundings provided him with the opportunity to explore the full potential of working in clay. Rather than treating these curved forms as merely substitute canvases on which to paint with glazes instead of oils, Picasso respected the inherent qualities of the clay and approached his works as truly three-dimensional objects.