Galerie des Etats-Unis, Cannes (acquired from the artist)
Sidney Brown, USA
Sonia & Shaya Brown, Los Angeles (by descent from the above)
Feingarten Galleries
Sam Weisbord, Los Angeles
Acquired from thꦛe above by the late owners in August 1980

Pasadena, The Pasadena Art Museum, 70th Anniversary Exhibition: Chagall, 1957

Franz Meyer, Marc Chagall, Life and Work, New York, 1961, no. 421, illustrated n.p. 

Executed on greeny grey coloured wove paper, not laid down, glued to the mount along the left edge. There are artist's pin-holes to the top right, left and bottom left corners. There is a small area of re-attached paper to the lower right corner and a 1cm. sq. area of paper loss to the centre of the left edge. Apart from some slight craquelure to the thick areas of pigment, this work is in 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."

Le Renard et la chèvre forms part of a cycle of gouaches commissioned by Vollard to illustrate the Fables of La Fontaine (1621-1695), which count among the masterpieces of French literature and consist of a series of episodes from rural life. Prior to embarking on this enterprise, Chagall and his family moved away from Paris in 1926 to Mourillon, near Toulon, and later to Auvergne. This rural retreat produced a period of huge productivity, and Chagall created a vast number of works, mainly gouaches of farmyards scenes, which share the same vigorous brushwork and vibrant use of colour.  This work illustrates the primitive vitality Chagall was able to impart to these ancient  fables, and fully justifies Vollard's belief that Chagall's  'aesthetic seems to me in a certain sense akin to La Fontaine's, at once delicate, realistic and fantastic' (Vollard quoted in Franz Meyer, Marc Chagall, Life and Work, New York, 1961, p. 348).

The Works on Paper sale features two spectacular works by Chagall and a Rouault self portrait which were among the highlights of the Superstein's collection in their Beverly Hills home.  Alongside the Superstein's wide ranging artistic interests, which were evident in a collection which placed Inuit sculptures by the native artists of Northwest Canada alongside modern works by Jawlensky and Picasso, Larry and Leah were formidable in their philanthropy, supporting many causes in Canada, Israel and the United States. They were extremely generous to visual and performing arts institutions in Los Angeles, especially to the various companies at the LA Music Center and the Los Angeles High School for the Arts. It was a great privilege for Sotheby's to serve the Supersteins as clients.

Further works from this collection are being offered on 19th June in the Impressionist and Modern Art Evening sale and on 20th June in the Day sale.