Georges de Batz & Co., New York
Paul Rosenberg & Co., New York
Robert von Hirsch, Basel
Thence by descent 

Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art; New York, Museum of Modern Art & Cleveland, Cleveland Museum of Art, Georges Braque, 1949, no. 47 

George Isarlov, Catalogue des oeuvres de Georges Braque, Paris, 1932, no. 330, n.p.
Galerie Maeght, ed., Catalogue de l'oeuvre de Georges Braque, Peintures 1924-1927, Paris, 1968, illustrated p. 19
Marco Valsecchi & Massimo Carra, L’Opera Completa di Braque dalla scomposisione cubist al recupero dell’oggetto, Milan, 1971, no. 224, illustrated n.p.

The canvas is unlined and the edges are reinforced with tape. The surface bears a lovely impasto and a layer of varnish has been applied. Under UV light there appears to be a pindot of retouching to the left of the sugar bowl, though the layer of varnish is difficult to read through. This work is in very good 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.

The still life was a theme to which Braque returned consistently throughout his long and productive career. In every phase, beginning with the Cubist period and culminating in the majestic interiors of his last years, Braque found the arrangement of a limited number of objects on a table-top or in an interior to be the most appropriate subject for his investigations of the formal and tactile qualities of painting. In the decades following the invention of Cubism, Braque continued to refine and re-examine the expressive possibilities of his still lifes, always creating innovative ways to represent common objects.

Painted in 1924, Légumier, citron, oranges is a wonderful example of the "transparent" aesthetic that would define Braque's work for the next decade. Elements of the composition overlap with varying degrees of transparency, creating an illusion of recession and depth. The dimensionality of the picture is further enhanced by Braque's choice of color. He limits his palette in a manner that focuses the eye on the fruit at the center of the ꦆpanel. Still lifes feature prominently in Braque's and Picasso's early Synthetic works and were a link with high Baroque still lifes, such as those painted by Caravaggio. Braque's historical appropriations and experim🔥ents with formal transparency would have a profound effect on the work of his fellow painters, most notably in Picasso's still lifes painted in the 1930s.