Galerie Alexander Iolas, New York
Private Collection (acquired by 1980)
Thence by descent

Daniel Marchesseau, Diego Giacometti, New York, 1986, i💙llustration of another example p. 92

There is a varied green and brown patina. the central sun form is not gilt, but rather polished bronze without an applied patina. Elements of the table that support the glass have been wrapped in cloth. A few areas of plaster residue in the deepest crevices are inherent to the artist's process. Otherwise fine. Work is in excellent 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.
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 1929 Man Ray introduced Alberto Giacometti to the French interior designer Jean-Michel Frank. Frank's interest in Surrealism and in incorporating surrealist elements into interiors led to a number of collaborative commisions with both Alberto and Diego for lamps and numerous other accessories. After Alberto's death in 1966, Diego cont🅘inued on in developing his own expression of design in a wide variety of furnishings and objects.  The success of Diego Giacometti's designs culminated in the extraordinary work he did for the Musée Picasso at L'Hôtel Salé in Paris.

The title of the present work refers to the mid-19th Century Swiss artist, Arnöld Böcklin, whose mythological subjects were often centered on a theme of death.  His strange and fantastical paintings, steeped in the tenents of Romanticism, were an important influence upon the Symbolists in France and the Pre-Raphaelites in England who followed൲.

While Böcklin fell out of favor in the early par🌸t of the twentieth century,  Marcel Du🔴champ surprisingly proclaimed him to be a major influence when asked for the name of his favorite artist.  Whether this tribute was meant to be ironic is not known, but Böcklin's use of macabre and dreamlike imagery along with Duchamp's previous stamp of approval caused the Surrealists (especially Max Ernst) to reclaim him as a source of inspiration.  

In the present work, the tranquil line of cypress trees at its heart calls to mind Böcklin's most famous work: The Isle of the Dead.(see fig. 1)  T🌜his haunting painting, the first version of which was painted in 1880, shows a shining figure in white, approaching the rocky and cypress-filled shoreline of a mythical Greek Isle.  While the scene is enigmatic, the lonely figure, possibly with a coffin in front of him, seems to be steered by Charon the boatman in a small vessel, towards his inexorable fate.

Fig 1: Arnold Böcklin, Isle of the Dead, 1880, oil on canvas, Kunstmuseum B𝕴asel