- 171
Jean Metzinger
Description
- Jean Metzinger
- Femme au faisan
- Signed J Metzinger (lower right)
- Oil on canvas
- 51 3/8 by 38 1/4 in.
- 130.5 by 97.3 cm
Provenance
Acquired from the above and thence by descent
Literature
Condition
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.
Catalogue Note
Femme au faisan is an extraordinary example of this iconography counterbalanced by layered spatial elements. The bold use of primary colors and incorporation of Neo-Classical architectural references underscore the dialogue between Metzinger and his friend and contemporary Fernand Léger (see fig. 1). Writing about Léger’s works of 1927, Douglas Cooper expresses the conceptual underpinnings of Metzinger's Femme au faisan: "Gradually he exchanged the monumental for the living. The architectural elements disappeared and were replaced by scattered objects setting up a rhythm between themselves, while the space in which they moved was created by pushing the objects into the foreground and setting up a play of colours in the background. The objects are related to each other by means of carefully controlled chromatic values, by similar or opposing rhythms and by the use of lines of direction which weave in and out through the whole composition. Léger places his objects at just the right distance from each other: they are held there by virtue of the laws of harmony and rhythm’ (Douglas Cooper, Fernand Léger et le nouvel espace, London, 1949, p. XIV).