María-Helena Vieira da Silva

Jorge de Brito Collection, Lisbon
Sale: Tajan, Paris, Jorge de Brito Collection, 22 October 2011, Lot 44
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Guy Weelen and Jean-François Jaeger, Vieira da Silva, Catalogue Raisonné, Geneva 1994, p. 250, no. 1261, illustrated

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although overall tonality is brighter and more vibrant in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. Consistent with a work of this age, there is light wear, fine cracking and associated loss to the pigment at the top two corners, running intermittently along all four edges and in a few further places elsewhere. Upon close inspection, fine, hairline cracks have appeared over time, and can be seen running vertically in places throughout the central plane of the canvas. No restoration are apparent when examined under ultra-violet light.
"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."

"In my paintings you see this uncertainty, this terrible labyrinth. That is my heaven, that labyrinth, and perhaps there is just a little certainty to be found in the centre of it. "

The artist cited in Gisela Rosenthal, ed., Vieira da Silva, 1908-1922:  The Quest for Unknown Space, Cologne 1998, p. 83