Georges Braque

Pierre Loeb, Paris (acquired from the artist)

Galerie Raphaël Gérard, Paris

René Gaffé, Brussels (acquired from the above and sold: Christie's, New York, The Collection of René Gaffé from the Estate of Madame René Gaffé, November 6, 2001, lot 20)

Acquired at the above sale

Nicole S. Mangin, Catalogue de L'oeuvre de Georges Braque: Peintures 1936-1941, Paris, 1961, illustrated p. 85

René Gaffé, A la verticale: Réflexions d'un collectionneur, Brussels, 1961, illustrated p. 111 (incorrectly dated 1918 and titled Nature morte au buffet)

This work is in good condition. Original canvas has been soft-lined - stretched over another canvas without the use of adhesive. Under UV light there are several nailhead-size spots of inpainting to cover previous nails, since the overlap of the canvas has been expanded. A seven inch diagonal scratch is visible to the naked eye in the upper left hand corner of the painting and a few thin scratches in the lower right hand corner.
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.

The still-life was a theme to which Braque returned consistently throughout his long and productive career. In every phase, beginning with the Fauve period and culminating in the majestic interiors of his last years, Braque found the arrangement of a limited number of objects on a table-top or in an interior to be the most appropriate subject for his investigations of the formal and tactile qualities of painting. 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.

Perhaps even more than the objects themselves, Braque was focused on the representation of space between them. In La Desserte I, the juxtaposition of objects creates an arena of visual sensations for the viewer, enunciated by the rhythm of line. Braque alluded to this concept when he said: "Objects do not exist for me except in so far as a rapport exists between them, and between them and myself. When one attains this harmony, one reaches a sort of intellectual non-existence... which makes everything possible and right. Life then becomes a perpetual revelation. That is true poetry" (quoted in John Richardson, Braque, London, 1961, p. 4). La Desserte I encompasses the artist's fascination with the creation of pictorial space and the relationship not only between objects, but also between the objects and the viewer. The present work elevates this sensation with the added texture of sand on the canvas, lending the objects a powerful tactility.