馬克．夏加爾

皮耶．馬蒂斯畫廊，紐約（1945年前購入）
小約翰．紐伯瑞，格羅斯角（1946年前購入）
阿爾伯特．李斯特夫婦，紐約
維登斯坦畫廊，紐約
現有藏家於1976年購自上述人士處

「馬克．夏加爾」紐約，皮耶．馬蒂斯畫廊，1944年，品號9，圖錄封面
「夏加爾」紐約，大都會美術博物館和芝加哥，芝加哥藝術學院，1946-47年，品號57
「十七 - 二十世紀法國繪畫借展」，底特律，底特律藝術中心，1947年，無品號
「馬克．夏加爾」巴黎，國立現代藝術美術館和阿姆斯特丹，市立美術館，1947-48年，品號55
「藝術作品中的知己密友」，羅斯林，紐約，納索郡藝術博物館，1993年，無品號
「城鎮和鄉村：追求生活的樂趣」，羅斯林，紐約，納索郡藝術博物館，1996年，無品號
「馬克．夏加爾」，羅斯林，紐約，納索郡藝術博物館，1998年，無品號

奧奈羅．文杜里，《馬克．夏加爾》，紐約，1945年，圖版LXI
米歇爾．喬治-米歇爾，《當代畫家傑作》，紐約，1945年，附圖版
詹姆士．約翰遜．斯溫尼，「十一位在美國的歐洲人」，《大都會美術博物館期刊》，1946年9月，圖版頁33
亨伯特，「馬克．夏加爾展覽」，《法國博物館期刊》，1947年12月，圖版頁19
法藍茲．梅耶，《馬克．夏加爾》，紐約，1963年，品號734，圖版頁682

This work is in good condition. Painting has been lined over a new stretcher in order to extend the canvas an inch on either vertical side and a quarter inch along the horizontal edges. Faint crackle pattern is visible over the horse's neck. Spider web crackle pattern to the right of the male figure's arm and very faint crackle pattern visible at bottom edge. Under UV light the bottom portions of the moon have been inpainted, and along the extreme left and right edges old tackholes have been inpainted, covered by the frame. Scattered pindots of inpainting are visible along the left edge and center bottom of the composition. Three nail-head sized spots of inpainting on the rooster's back and wing. One small area of inpainting in the upper right 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.

Painted in 1944 when Chagall was living in exile in the United States, Coq rouge dans la nuit is an exquisite example of Chagall's dream-like imagery and color. The cockerel, lovers and violin are key elements of his iconography, appearing again and again throughout his oeuvre, wistfully recalling the folkloric traditions of his childhood in Russia. Unlike the Surrealists who used painting to dramatize the confrontational and disturbing potential of the subconscious, Chagall found an affinity between painting and dreaming through which he was able to articulate the deepest desires of his heart: "Painting seemed to me like a window through which I could have taken flight toward another world" (quoted in Susan Compton, Chagall, London, 1985, p. 20).

As such, Chagall's paintings defy symbolic meaning and categorization. In particular, his dreamscapes resist interpretation despite the ubiquity of repeated pictorial symbols; through repetition they become both familiar and are manifestations of a rich and colorful imagination that can be understood not through intellect but through intuition. As the artist himself proclaimed: "For me a picture is a surface covered with representations of things (objects, animals, human beings) in a certain order in which logic and illustration have no importance. The visual effect of the composition is what is paramount" (quoted in ibid., p. 21). This joy of creation and the artistic freedom of interpretation reflect Chagall's confidence in his style and technique and his deeply subjective approach to painting. With its fanciful, dream-like composition, the painting becomes an expression of the artist's internal universe rather than an objective projection of the outside world.