Alex Maguy, Paris
Private Collection, France (by descent from the above and sold: Christie's, New York, November 5, 2003, lot 135)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Paris, Grand Palais, Salon d'Automne, 1971

Excellent condition, especially given its large size. Paper may be very slightly time darkened. Under UV light, some of the original pigments fluoresce especially the white and lighter blue tones, but no inpainting is apparent. There are thin cracks in the oil paint that is most thickly applied, including white highlights at tree in lower left. These also show tiny chips of loss. There are also tiny chips of loss on the green pigment around bird on man's face. Specifically, a chip of loss in bird's eye and man's nose. Small areas of cracking in blue pigment outlining bird's chest. Cracks and tiny chips of loss in dark green pigments and white pigments outlining the bouquet. Also a 1/2 inch v-shaped tear to paper near left center edge and a few artist pinholes around edge of sheet.
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.

Painted during Chagall's mature period, the present work is a colorful celebration of one of the artist's favorite subjects, the cock. Chagall often featured the beloved rooster in his work to symbolize the rural existence of his past and also to add a unique element of spirituality to the work.  Franz Meyer states, "The fowlyard, too, has its place in Chagall's recollections of his childhood. That is why poultry are always part of the Russian scenes painted during his first Paris period. In the twenties impressions of French farmyards and work on the Fables lend the motif a new topicality. It first occupies a central position in On the Rooster (fig. 1) painted in 1928, which is linked with the pictures of young girls riding horses and donkeys. Here, however, the brother and sister relationship is lacking, as indicated by the incongruity of the dimensions of the rider and her mount. Of course, as a symbol the cock has an entirely different and far stranger nature than the quadrupeds, which, despite their four feet, are more closely related to man. For thousands of years it has played a part in religious rites as the embodiment of the forces of the sun and fire. This symbolic meaning still lingers on in Chagall's works, where the cock represents elementary spiritual power" (Franz Meyer, Marc Chagall, New York, 1963, p. 380).

Fig. 1 Marc Chagall, Sur Le Coq, 1928, oil on canvas