Georges Braque

Marie Harriman Gallery, New York
Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., New York (acquired from the above)
Mr & Mrs Jack I. Poses, New York (acquired from the above)
Thence by descent to the present owners

Paris, Salon de la Folle Enchère, 1930
Amsterdam, E.S. van Wisselingh & Co., La Peinture Française aux XIX et XX Siecles, 1935, no. 5 (illustrated in the catalogue)
New York, Poughkeepsie, Vassar College, Exhibition of Abstractions, 1934
Connecticut, Hartford, Wadsworth Athenaeum, Collection of James T. Soby, 1934
Chicago, Arts Club of Chicago, Exhibition of the Walter P. Chrysler Jr., Collection, 1937, no. 17
Detroit, Detroit Institute of Arts, Selected Exhibition of the Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., Collection, 1937, no. 19 (illustrated in the catalogue)
Chicago, Arts Club of Chicago, Braque Retrospective Exhibition, 1939, no. 38
Washington D.C., Phillips Memorial Gallery,  Braque Retrospective Exhibition, 1939-1940, no. 31
San Francisco, San Francisco Museum of Art,  Braque Retrospective Exhibition, 1940, no. 38
Richmond, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts & Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Collection of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., 1941, no. 23 (titled Still Life with Guitar)
New York, Perls Galleries, G. Braque - An American Tribute: The Twenties, 1964, no. 28, illustrated in the catalogue

Detroit News, 7th October 1937, p. 17
Art News, 22nd October 1938
Galerie Maeght (ed.), Catalogue de l'œuvre de Georges Braque, Peintures 1924-1927, Paris, 1968, no. 95, illustrated
Massimo Carrà, Tout l'œuvre peint de Braque 1908-1928, Paris, 1973, no. 336, illustrated

The canvas is lined. There is a very small repaired tear with associated retouching on the lip of the pitcher; some spots of retouching along the extreme upper right framing edge and an intermittent thin vertical line of retouching on the right framing edge, visible under ultra-violet light. Otherwise this work is in good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue illustration, although the reds and greens are richer and stronger 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 still-life was a theme to which Braque returned consistently throughout his long and productive career. In every phase, beginning with the Fauve period and culminating in the majestic interiors of his last years, Braque found the arrangement of a limited number of objects on a table-top or in an interior to be the most appropriate subject for his investigations of the formal and tactile qualities of painting. In the decades following the invention of Cubism, Braque continued to refine and re-examine the expressive possibilities of his still-lifes, always creating innovative ways to represent common objects.

Painted in 1927, Mandoline, fruits, pichet epitomises the 'transparent' aesthetic that would define Braque's work for the next decade. Elements of the composition overlap with varying degrees of transparency, creating an illusion of recession and depth. The dimensionality of the picture is further enhanced by Braque's inventive choice of colour. He limits his palette in a manner that focuses the eye on the mandolin at the centre of the canvas. Though the guitar features prominently in Braque's and Picasso's early Synthetic works, the mandolin is a unique inclusion here and creates a link with high Baroque still-lifes, such as those painted by Caravaggio. Braque's historical appropriations and experiments with formal transparency would have a profound effect on the work of his fellow painters, most notably in Picasso's still-lifes painted in the 1930s.