Jacques S. Eligmann & Co., New York
Mr. & Mrs. H. Gates Lloyd, Palm Beach
James Vigeveno Galleries, California
Jose Iturbi, Los Angeles (and sold: Bonhams, Los Angeles, June 2, 2008, lot 222A)
Acquired at the above sale

Georges Isarlov, Catalogue des oeuvres de Georges Braque, Paris, 1932, no. 496
Georges Braque, Cahiers d'art, 1933, p. 71
Maeght Éditeur, ed., Catalogue de l'oeuvre de George Braques, Peintures 1928-1935, vol. IV, Paris, 1962, n.n., illustrated pl. 29

The canvas is unlined. Extremely fine lines of stable cracquelure are most visible on the light-blue and green pigment in the center left quadrant and the dark green area at top center. There are a few extremely thin scratches, one to the bottom right of the pear at left, and the other running vertically top center. Under UV light, there are some thin strokes of inpainting to the extreme right and left of the canvas. A masking layer of varnish makes it difficult to read. There is minor skinning to the varnish at the upper left edge of the fruit bowl. The work is in 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.

Painted in 1929, Verre, corbeille et fruits exemplifies Braque’s ceaseless quest to refine and re-examine the expressive possibilities of his still-lifes during the decades following his invention of Cubism. The dimensionality of the present work is enhanced by Braque's creative choice of color, limiting his palette to focus the viewer’s eye on the glass and fruit at the center of the canvas. Braque's still-lifes of the 1920s are today considered as the most classical compositions within his oeuvre, with the hard edges of his pre-World War I paintings evolving into softer curved lines. As the artist once said, "There is in nature a tactile space; I might almost say a manual space... This is the space that fascinates me so much, because that is what early Cubist painting was, a research into space" (quoted in John Golding, Braque, Still Lifes and Interiors, London, 1990, p. 9).     

Here, pigment is applied thickly and in broad brushstrokes; paint is used to achieve texture as well as color. The dark background of Verre, corbeille et fruits emphasizes spatial depth and increases the resonance of the bright lemons and pear, not to mention the decorative pattern in the glass echoed in the table top below. The tilted table, pieces of fr𓃲uit and sharply angled pipe appear to defy gravity and these motifs🔴 may be seen as Braque's homage to Cézanne, whose still-lifes played such an important role in the development of modern painting.