Louis Goldschmidt
Sale: Christie's, London, May 20, 1960, lot 77
Mr. and Mrs. Irving Mitchell Felt, New York 

Art Gallery of Ontario, Picasso at Large in Toronto Collections, 1988
Bern, Kunstmuseum Bern, Groupe d'Artistes, n.d.
Ottawa, The National Gallery of Canada, European Drawings in the Canadian Collection, n.d., no. 60
Ontario, Art Gallery of Ontario; Washington, D.C., National Gallery of Art; Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, Picasso: The Early Years, 1892-1906, 1997-98

Arte Joven, no. 2., Madrid, 1901
Christian Zervos, Pablo Picasso Oeuvres 1895-1906, vol. 1, Paris, 1954, no. 36, p. 18
Pierre Daix and Georges Boudaille, Picasso 1900-1906, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, Paris, 1966, no. D.III.5, illustrated p. 137
Josep Palau i Fabre, Picasso: The Early Years 1881-1907, Paris, 1981, no. 5🐎30, p. 532, illustrated p. 217 

Very good condition. Hinged with rice paper at top corners. Minor surface dirt. A few minor losses along upper edge. Sheet may be slightly time darkened. Few visible fox marks along extreme lower edge. Tiny loss to pigment in beard of figure at far left. Few handling creases along left edge. Verso: Old tape remnants and residue along edges, sheet is somewhat darkened.
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.

In 1899, Picasso discovered El Quatre Gats and was quickly inducted into the tight circle of artists and intellectuals who frequented the Bohemian tavern.  It was there that he solidified his friendship with the de Soto brothers, Angel and Mateu.  Picasso began spontaneously sketching his new group of friends and soon found himself with a large corpus of work.  Unknown and without the means to find a venue to properly frame and mount his work, Picasso chose El Quatre Gats to exhibit his work.  According to Francesc Fontbona, this informal exhibition, "provided a watershed in the young artist's career.  We do not know exactly which portraits were exhibited, as no catalogue is currently available and the only three critics that covered the event in the press did not list them but, in view of the repertoire of known or preserved works, it is easy to conjecture that they must have been the portraits of Francisco Bernareggi, Josep Cardonoa, Carlos Casegamas, Creus, Angel Fernández de Soto, Mateu Fernéndez de Soto... Jaimé Sabartés... and a few other unidentified figures" (María Teresa Ocaña, Picasso and Els 4 Cats, Barcelona, 1996, p. 14).

Fig. 1. Picasso, Mateu F. de Soto and Casagemas on the roof of No. 3, Carrer de la Mercè, circa 1900