Giorgio Morandi

Galleria del Milione, Milan

Lamberto Vitali, Milan

Private Collection, Naples

Sale: Christie's, Milan, May 26, 2008, lot 381

The Hague, Gemeentemuseum, Giorgio Morandi, 1954, no. 59 (dated 1950)

London, New Burlington Galleries, Giorgio Morandi, 1954, no. 56

Winterthur, Kunstmuseum, Giorgio Morandi, Giacomo Manzu, 1956, no. 42, illustrated in the catalogue

Francesco Arcangeli, Twelve Paintings by Giorgio Morandi, Milan, 1950, illustrated pl. 8

Lamberto Vitali, Morandi, Catalogo Generale, vol. II. Milano, 1977, no. 675, illustrated

Excellent condition. Original canvas. 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.

The present work is a brilliant example of Morandi's mastery of the still-life, and of the virtuosity with which he combined the simplest forms and a nearly monochrome palette into a perfectly balanced composition. The theme of still-life, which remained central to Morandi's art throughout his career, was always guided by his concern to bring together space, light, color and form, and his great achievement was to reconcile this traditional genre with the abstract aesthetic of his own time. Focusing his artistic efforts on a limited range of subjects, he was able to perfect these pictorial concerns to their purest expression.

In Natura morta of 1949, the ensemble of ceramic objects is rendered in subtle tonal variations lending them a dream-like quality, and their material presence is transformed into a composition of pure color and form. Morandi's mastery was in rendering these common objects with a timeless grace unique to his oeuvre. The sense of classical beauty and harmony in the present work is derived not only from the subtlety of palette, ranging from cool stone white and grey to warmer rose, but also from the elegant shapes of the objects themselves, reminiscent of scattered antique ruins bathed in the summer light.