JEAN COCTEAU | An Album of 19 Drawings including a study for La Gondole des Morts

Fabrizio Clerici, Rome (a gift from the artist)
Eros Renzetti, Rome (a gift from the above)

Tripoli, Centro Italiano di Studi, Fabrizio Clerici, 1960
Rome, Centre Culturel Français, Les Chevaliers de la Table Ronde, 1963
Mamiano di Traversetolo, Fondazione Magnani-Rocca, Jean Cocteau. Il poeta, il testimone, l'impostore, 2005, illustrated in colour the catalogue

Album of nineteen drawings with a separate grey cover. Each drawing is executed on cream wove paper taken from a notebook, not laid down, attached to the mount with tape at each corner and floating in the mount. The left edge of each sheet features neat binding holes. The below order corresponds to the order within the printed catalogue; proceeding from the top row, left to right. Main catalogue illustration: The sheet is lightly time-stained. There is a spot of studio staining to the background within the upper right quadrant and there are some very minor nicks to the paper surface along the lower right edge. The sheet is in overall good condition. Top Row: Drawing A: The sheet is lightly time-stained. There is a small paper loss in both the upper and lower left corners. There is a small studio stain at the centre of the left edge and some further stains towards the lower right corner and to the centre of the right edge. This sheet is in overall good condition. Drawing B: The sheet is lightly time-stained. There are some extremely minor spots of foxing in places. Otherwise, this sheet is in overall very good condition. Drawing C: The sheet is lightly time-stained. There is a tiny puncture to the sheet at the left of the figure's neck. There are some very minor flattened creases in places. Otherwise, this sheet is in overall very good condition. Drawing D: The sheet is lightly time-stained. There is a small flattened crease in both the upper and lower right corners. This sheet is in overall very good condition. Drawing E: The sheet is lightly time-stained. There is a small studio stain visible in the upper right quadrant. This sheet is in overall good condition. Drawing F: The sheet is lightly time-stained. There is a very minor paper loss in the lower left corner. There are some spots of staining to the figure's arm within the upper right quadrant and there is some fading to the felt-tip. This sheet is in overall good condition. Middle Row: Drawing G: The sheet is lightly time-stained. There is a minor paper loss to the lower left corner. This sheet is in overall very good condition. Drawing H: The sheet is lightly time-stained. There is a minor paper loss to the lower left corner. There is a minor tear (less than 0.5cm long) towards the centre of the right edge. This sheet is in overall very good condition. Drawing I: The sheet is lightly time-stained. There is a loss to the lower left corner. There are some faint surface scratches (mainly visible in raking light) around the centre of the composition, the longest of which is approx. 7cm. long. There is a small studio stain towards the centre of the right edge. This sheet is in overall good condition. Drawing J: The sheet is lightly time-stained. There are spots of foxing throughout the sheet. There is a flattened diagonal crease across the lower right corner. There are three nicks with associated minor paper losses within the upper left quadrant and another small loss towards the centre of the lower edge. There are some further small nicks along the lower edge. This sheet is in overall fair condition. Drawing K: The sheet is lightly time-stained. There is a diagonal flattened crease in the upper right corner. The felt-tip lines are significantly faded in places. This sheet is in overall good condition. Drawing L: The sheet is lightly time-stained. There is a small tear (approx. 0.5cm long) to the centre of the upper edge. There are some scratches within the paper surface (visible in raking light) the longest of which is approx. 7cm long. This sheet is in overall good condition. Bottom Row: Drawing M: The sheet is lightly time-stained. There are some spots of foxing towards the lower left corner. This sheet is in overall very good condition. Drawing N: The sheet is lightly time-stained. There is a small tear (less than 0.5cm long) to the left part of the lower edge and some diagonal flattened creases to the upper right corner. This sheet is in overall very good condition. Drawing O: The sheet is lightly time-stained. The felt-tip in the background has faded and there are some spots of foxing in places. There is a small paper loss in the lower right corner and a further tiny loss within the upper right quadrant. This sheet is in overall fair condition. Drawing P: The sheet is lightly time-stained. The felt-tip in the background has faded and there are some spots of foxing in places. The sheet is in overall fair condition. Drawing Q: The sheet is lightly time-stained. There are some spots of foxing in places, some small paper losses to the upper left and lower right corners and a further small loss within the figure's garment. There are some spots of paper abrasion in places, primarily to the upper part of the composition. There are some small nicks to the paper surface at the upper and right edges. The sheet is in overall fair condition. Drawing R: The sheet is lightly time-stained. There are some tiny spots of foxing in places and a small flattened crease in the lower right corner. The sheet is in overall very good 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. 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."

Enjoying his days between the Lido and the fashionable Harry's Bar, Jean Cocteau executed this album of drawings during his stay at the Hotel Bauer in Venice in July 1958. Upon observing the glamorous holiday goers, Cocteau executed a series of drawings inspired by his surroundings and it was his friend Fabrizio Clerici's suggestion to publish these works for the appreciation of the wider public. Originally, 40 drawings were meant to be included, however only seventeen drawings were chosen, amongst which Le Cavalier de Bronze, included in this lot, based on Verrocchio's equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni. The publication would appear in a small format under the name of Gondole des morts in 1959. As a gesture of appreciation for Clerici's help in publishing his drawings, Cocteau offered him ninteen drawings, of which one, from the offered album, was given to Cocteau's muse, the Marchesa Luisa Casati in 1958. Fabrizio Clerici was born in Milan in 1913, and moved to Rome with his family in 1920. While studying architecture and attending lectures given by Le Corbusier, he befriended Alberto Savinio, the younger brother of the celebrated metaphysical artist Giorgio De Chirico. This introduction to the world of Surrealism would prove to be of seminal importance to Clerici, who later exhibited extensively as an artist, including at the Venice Biennale in 1948 and 1956 and at the Museum of Modern Art, New York in 1949. He also designed the sets and costumes for Stravinsky’s ballet Orpheus at La Fenice theatre.

Clerici first met Jean Cocteau in 1953, and the pair became fast friends, no doubt united by their common interest in the worlds of art, theatre, design and cinema. Indeed, Cocteau had co-directed his most iconic film, Beauty and the Beast, with Jean Marais only a few years before, in 1946. The present group of works is considered to be one of Cocteau’s finest body of graphic works, and was partially edited and reviewed by Clerici. These drawings illustrate a whimsical cast of sunbathers, celebrities and café society, including two drawings of the iconic Greta Garbo. Together, they give an insight into the glamorous heights of the Dolce Vita.

Apprentice and protégé of Clerici, Eros Renzetti was recognised for his talents as an artist when he was just 14 years old. Renzetti later worked and lived with Clerici at his studio in Rome until the artist’s death in 1993. The present collection bears testament to a friendship built upon creativity and collaboration.

Further books and correspondence on the subject of La Gondole des morts from Clerici's collection will be offered during the Livres et Manuscrits sale in Paris in November 2018.