Emil Filla

Private Collection, Amsterdam
Galerie 1900-2000, Paris
Private Collection (acquired from the above; sale: Sotheby's, London, 20th May 1987, lot 146)
Joe Wolpe, Cape Town
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1994

Paris, Galerie 1900-2000, Trajectoires 1905-1983, 1983, no. 63, illustrated in the catalogue

Vojtěch Lahoda, Emil Filla, Prague, 2007, no. 167, illustrated p. 185 (with erroneous dimensions)

The panel is sound. UV examination reveals a thin vertical line of retouching (approximately 4cm.) to the left part of the upper edge, relating to a fine split in the panel. The left and right edges of the panel have been unevenly cut, and there are some fine splinters to the edges, in keeping with the medium and only visible when unframed. This work appears to be in overall good condition.
"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."

Executed in 1915, Le cruchon et la flûte is a highly significant work which dates from a formative period of Emil Filla’s career. The angular planes and curious perspective of the scene reflects the influence of the pioneering Cubist paintings being produced in Paris by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, which Filla had originally encountered on a visit to the city in 1909. Filla had produced his first painting in a predominantly Cubist idiom in 1912, and by 1915 the artist’s interpretation of the style had matured to the extent that he was able to forge his own utterly distinctive creative vocabulary, further enhanced by his utilisation of sand as a medium to create complex textures.

Painter, graphic artist, sculptor and theorist, Filla studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague before breaking away with fellow students to found the group Osma (the Eight), exhibiting with them in 1907 and 1908. In 1911 he was instrumental in the formation of the Group of Fine Artists, a body of Czech painters, architects and intellectuals actively engaged with Cubism. Filla was well travelled and kept abreast of avant-garde artistic trends in Paris and Germany, procuring for himself and friends reproductions of paintings by Picasso, Braque and African sculpture, and building up his own extensive collection of Czech folk art and African art. Within Le cruchon et la flûte, Filla draws together these various facets of influence to create a work with powerful intellectual and historical resonance.