Natalia Dumitresco & Alexandre Istrati (acquired directly from the artist)
Thence by descent (and sold: Artcurial, Paris, November 30, 2010, lot 88)
Acquired at the above sale

Duisburg, Germany, Wilhelm-Lehmbruck Museum der Stadt Duisburg, Constantin Brancusi, Plasticken, 1976
Mannheim, Städtische Kunsthalle, 1976

Ionel Jianou, Constantin Brancusi, Paris, 1963, no. 97, illustrated
Ionel Jianou, Constantin Brancusi, Paris, 1982, no. 93, illustrated
Carola Giedeon-Welcker, "Le message de Brancusi," in XXe siècle, no. 24, December 1964, illustrated p. 14
Pontus Hulten, Natalia Dumitresco & Alexandre Istrati, Brancusi, Paris, 1986, no. 222, details illustrated pp. 148 &❀ 318

There is a visible repair approximately two inches from the base of the distaff where there was a previous break. The unfinished surface is inherent to the work, and pencil markings around the center are likely by the artist. There are a few scattered nicks, stains, and small spots of repair around the central element; otherwise the work is in good condition overall.
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.

Quenouille, or "distaff," refers to a traditional peasant tool used to hold unspun fibers and feed them into a spindle or spinning wheel. Often artfully crafted, these primitive tools provided inspiration to many visual artists of Brancusi's generation, including several early contributors to the Russian avant-garde. The present work underscores Brancusi's interest in the folk traditions of his native Romania, a place where "life was happy, without quarrels and illnesses; this was because the civilization that spoils everything had not yet arrived" (Brancusi as quoted in Michel Seuphor, L'Art abstrait, ses origins, ses premiers maîtres, Paris, 1949, p. 80).

As scholar Edith Balas describes the balance of tradition and modernity struck in Brancusi's oeuvre: "The duality of Brancusi's art proceeded from the duality of his personality. It might be said that he was possessed of both the Dionysian attitude of the peasant and the Apollonianism of the thinker. By resolving these tendencies through an interpretation of the counterpoint between tradition and the drive for formal novelty, he succeeded in creating an effective and thoroughly personal style. Werner Hofmann's definition of style has a special relevance to the art of Brancusi: it is 'a bargaining understanding between yesterday and today—in the best sense of the word, an accommodation. It is an organic thing'" (Edith Balas, Brancusi and Rumanian Folk Traditions, Boulder, 1987, p. 48).

 

Fig. 1 Brancusi in his studio in the 1950s