René Magritte

Isy Brachot, Brussels
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1968

Brussels, Galerie Isy Brachot, Magritte, Cent cinquante oeuvres: première vue mondiale de ses sculptures, 1968

Executed on thick cream wove paper, not laid down. Apart from some light mount-staining to the extreme edges, not visible when framed, this work is in overall very good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue, though the top of the piano is slightly greyer 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."

'The last problem I dealt with was that of the piano. The solution taught me that the secret object destined to be united with the piano was an engagement ring. The picture La main heureuse therefore shows a black grand piano the end of which passes through the ring like a beam of happiness and more especially the happiness of the fingers of a hand which is playing the piano. At the same, since the ring is partly hidden by the piano running through it, its appearance suggests the shape of a musical sign, the bass clef [...] It should be noted that the feature of this kind of image is that it doesn't suggest, as happens in some cases, the idea that one thing is like another thing: a woman is like a flower, like a pearl, like a cloud etc. but asserts that one thing is the other thing : A door is a hole. A tree is a leaf. A piano is a hand (or a finger). In this last case there is an additional pleasure caused by the thought that a hand is a finger, and by the ring which evokes that true luxury that Baudelaire sometimes makes us long for' (René Magritte,  quoted in David Sylvester (ed.), René Magritte Catalogue raisonné, Antwerp, 1994, vol 4,  p. 147).