Lithograph printed in black, with hand-coloring in red, on grey-green wove paper mounted on card as issued by the artist, 1895, signed in blue watercolor and dated, framed

Kunstnerfobrundet, Oslo, Norway, 1910-1917         🧔;          

Included in the auction of Prints by Edvard Munch and Toulouse-Lautrec from the Clarence and Jane Franklin Collection; Kornfeld and Klipstein, June 22, 1973, lot 10

The print is in good condition overall. There is a 2 1/4 inch repaired tear in the left margin. The sheet edges with a few tiny losses, light surface soiling and minor rubbed spots.
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.

Printed by Lassally

Early on Edvard Munch began to experiment with various paper types for his graphic works, resulting in dramatic aesthetic variations.  Special printings on different color or particularly expensive papers distinguished the prints as unique efforts. Gray cardboard, which over time ages to a clear green, was a typical material from early collaborations with Berlin printer Lassally; Vampyr, Madonna and Self-Portrait are examples of lithographs with impressions on this support.  In the present example the grayish-green tone of the paper accentuates and contrasts with the bold red hand-coloring in the woman's hair draping over her shoulder and extending into the man's profile.  As Antonia Hoerschelmann notes in her catalogue essay, "The subjects of...Vampire escape from their interior settings to become 'spaceless' and 'timeless' compositions, in which the couples in the scenes are concentrated increasingly in the fusion of their two figures" (Antonia Hoerschelmann, Crossover: Munch and Modernism)

One of the earliest impressions from the lithographic stone for Vampyr, this finely detailed example illustrates the translucent, ෴hand-worked method of Munch's early compositions.  Unlike later printings of this image in which the brutal nature of the vampire dominates, the fusion of the two figures here creates the sense of an embrace as loving as it is dangerous.