Lot 8
  • 8

Georges Braque

Estimate
500,000 - 700,000 USD
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Description

  • Georges Braque
  • La Saucière
  • Signed G. Braque (lower left)
  • Oil on canvas
  • 13 1/8 by 21 5/8 in.
  • 33.5 by 55 cm

Provenance

Sam Salz, New York (acquired from the artist)

Acquired from the above on March 3, 1952

Exhibited

Lyon, Musée des Beaux-Arts, 1942

New York, Findlay Galleries, Art Seldom Seen: Masterpieces from the Private Collections, 1974

Literature

Maeght Éditeur (ed.), Catalogue de l’oeuvre de Georges Braque, Peintures 1942-1947, Paris, 1960, no. 33, illustrated

Condition

Excellent condition. The canvas is lined with an old glue lining. Under UV light, there is no evidence of retouching.
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.

Catalogue Note

The present work illustrates Braque’s continued fascination with still-life, the genre that dominated his Cubist period. With the development of Synthetic Cubism, the artist had discovered that he could begin a painting “nearly always a still-life on a table” by composing it with purely pictorial elements, such as shaped forms and planes of color, and gradually endow them with an objective significance as his composition progressed.

Braque’s still-lifes of the inter-war period are today considered classic compositions within his oeuvre, as the hard edges of his pre-War paintings evolved into softer curved lines. Typically, pigment is applied quite thickly and in broad brushstrokes and paint is used to achieve texture as well as color. In the present work, the dark table top emphasizes spatial depth and increases the resonance of the bright lemons, the decorative pattern on the wall and the sharply contrasted blue checkered table-cloth. The tilted table and pieces of fruit that appear to defy gravity can be seen as Braque’s homage to Cézanne, whose still-lifes played such an important role in the development of modern painting.