雷內∙馬格利特

Private Collection, The Netherlands (acquired from the artist in 1950. Sold: Christie's, Amsterdam, 19th May 1992, lot 191)
Ronny Van de Velde, Antwerp (purchased at the above sale)
Doctor Desutter, Belgium
Acquired from the above by the present owner in the early 1990s

Brussels, Palais des Beaux-Arts, René Magritte, 1954 (possibly)
Brussels, Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, 1998
Knokke, Casino, Magritte, 2001, no. 42, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Elle, Brussels, 10th June 1954, illustrated p. 9 (titled L'Espoir)
David Sylvester (ed.), Sarah Whitfield & Michael Raeburn, René Magritte. Catalogue Raisonné. Gouaches, Temperas, Watercolours and Papiers Collés 1918-1967, London, 1994, vol. IV, no. 1317, illustrated p. 135

Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down.There are artist's pinholes in the upper and lower left corners and to the upper, lower and left centre edges (not visible when mounted). Apart from some time staining to the sheet, some mount staining along all four edges and a tiny spot of surface abrasion to the left of the upper edge (not visible when mounted), this work is in good condition. Colours: In comparison to the printed catalogue illustration, the paper tone is much warmer and the colours are much brighter and fresher in the original.
"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 1950, La Promesse takes up a theme that Magritte had previously explored in a 1946 gouache entitled Le Lever du soleil, which he described in his personal notes as follows: 'If one can imagine young girls in bloom one can also accept a bird in bloom. The sudden appearance of this bird is as pleasing as sunrise' (quoted in D. Sylvester, op. cit., vol. IV, p. 72).

Birds often appear in Magritte's work and, due to their association with flight and escape, they appeal to the artist's interest in the symbolism of dreams, the basis of much of his work. The absolute realism, a challenge to the dominant shift towards abstraction in the arts of the period, serves to reinforce his curious vision. As Siegfried Gohr wrote: 'The crisis of vision prompted again and again by Magritte cannot be reduced to the sense that the world has gone off the rails; rather, it evokes a world that has become questionable, in the truest sense of the word, to its core. Magritte demonstrates this not by means of abstract experiments but by investigating concrete properties of objects, sensed in quite individual terms' (S. Gohr, 'The Charming Provocateur', in René Magritte: The Key to Dreams (exhibition catalogue), Vienna, 2005, pp. 23-24).