Private Collection, USA
Waddington Galleries Ltd., London

Paris, Galerie de France, Ben Nicholson, 1956, no. 12
New York, Durlacher Brothers, Ben Nicholson, no. 10, illustrated in the catalogue
 

Joseph Paul Hodin, Ben Nicholson, London, 1957, pl. 48, illustrated n.p.

The board is stable and there are no signs of retouching visible under UV light. This work is in 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."

Zennor Quoit takes its title from a standing stone in Cornwall close to Nicholson's home in St Ives. These imposing Neolithic burial stones fascinated Nicholson: their stark sillouettes were an inspiration for his own art which sort to recreate the eternal, timeless forms of the natural landscape.  In this particular work, the artist used the technique of scraping away at the paint to recreate the texture and colour of his subject, in imitation of the natural weathering of the standing stones. Indeed the earthy tone and simple, elemental shapes of this work exemplifies Nicholson's belief in the indivisibility of colour and form in nature: 'In a painting it should be impossible to separate form from colour or colour from form as it is to separate wood from wood-colour or stone-colour from stone. Colour exists not as applied paint but as the inner core of an idea and this idea cannot be touched physically any more than one can touch the blue of a summer sky' (Notes in Tate Gallery exhibition catalogue 1955; quoted in J. Lewison, Ben Nicholson, Oxford, 1991, p. 22).