Marie Laurencin

Sale: Palais des Congrès, Versailles, 2nd December 1979, lot 69
Galerie Sainte-Anne, Paris
Private Collection, Japan
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, 14th November 1990, lot 426
Sale: Christie's, London, 30th June 1999, lot 229
Private Collection (purchased at the above sale; sale: Christie's, London, 23rd June 2004, lot 230)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Rolandseck, Stiftung Hans Arp und Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Apollinaire, 1999-2000, no. 18

Daniel Marchesseau, Marie Laurencin 1883-1956, Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint, Tokyo, 1986, vol. I, no. 692, illustrated p. 289

The canvas is not lined. There is a thick layer of uneven and discoloured varnish preventing the UV light from fully penetrating. There are few minor areas of light fluorescence at intervals along the extreme edges, possibly retouching. There is a very light undulation of the canvas to the lower left corner with associated tiny surface losses, visible in the catalogue illustration. Otherwise, apart from two specks of surface loss, one towards the centre of the lower edge and the other towards the centre of the right edge, and very light craquelure mainly in the lower half, this work is in very good condition. The appearance of this work would benefit from the cleaning of the very discoloured varnish.
"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."

'Marie Laurencin is the poet of painting and the painter of poetry. [...] With its pinks, blues and all the other hues of the rainbow, [the artist's œuvre] is a celebration of love and joy, but also a tender yet serious tribute to human nature, its dreams and spirits, as well as its fascinating need for irrationality'

Flora Groult (in Marie Laurencin (exhibition catalogue), Galerie Daniel Malingue, Paris, 1986)