馬克斯·恩斯特

Edouard Loeb, Paris

Albert Loeb Gallery, New York (1961)

Acquired from the above

Munich, Haus der Kunst, Französische Malerei der Gegenwart, 1963, no. 93, illustrated in the catalogue

Werner Spies, Günter & Sigrid Metken, Max Ernst, Oeuvre -Katalog, Werke 1954-1963, Houston, 1998, no. 3383, illustrated p. 173

Very good condition. The paint layer is stable and and the colors are vibrant. In the pale colors of the foreground, there are a couple of slightly shinier spots on the left side as well as on the lower edge. There are no other disturbances to the matte finish. Under UV light. there are no retouches except for a small one to the darkest shadow of the small curled object in the center.
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.

Ernst's works of the 1950s, following his return to a Europe in the throes of reconstruction, exhibited a stylistic duality of composition and disintegration - a suitable metaphor for the times.  According to Werner Spies, his mood during this period "was an ambivalent one, which [Ernst] paraphrased as follows: 'From 'The Age of Anxiety' to 'The Childhood of Art' only half a rotation of the orthochromatic wheel is required. Between the Massacre of the Innocents and Stepping Through the Looking-Glass lies an interval merely of one luminous night.' ... Ernst remained true to his early decision to strive for a symbolic painting in which open questions, and hence the unfathomable obscurity of existence, took precedence over simplistic positivist explanations and definitive stylistic results" (W. Spies, Max Ernst, A Retrospective (exhibition catalogue), London, 1991, p. 252).