Saidenberg Gallery, New York
Mr. & Mrs. Allan D. Emil, New York (acquired from the above)
Sale: Christie's, New York, November 12, 1992, lot 169
Acquired at the above sale

Executed on cream wove paper laid down on card with a faint pencil grid. The sheet is time-darkened with an old mat stain visible along the extreme perimeter and faint spots of foxing scattered throughout. There is an artist's pinhole in the center of the upper edge. Two small spots of restoration visible towards the center of the blue glass and in the red element at upper center. A faint flattened crease in the tip of the upper right corner which indicates some possible further old restoration. Otherwise, fine. This work is in overall 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.

Executed in 1925, Nature morte (Le Verre) is typical of the unique Cubist style Léger developed during the mid-1920s. He restores descriptive elements to his composition—here, the viewer can clearly distinguish a glass, a spool of unwound thread, and a passage of text—while representing these objects in a drastically simplified manner, flattening them into a basic geometry of forms and adhering to an elemental color palette. Of this aesthetic, Léger commented: “I organize the opposition of contrasting values, lines, and curves. I oppose curves to straight lines, flat surfaces to molded forms, pure local colors to nuances of grey. These initial plastic forms are either superimposed on objective elements or not, it makes no difference to me. There is only a question of variety...” (quoted in Edward F. Fry, ed., Fernand Léger: The Functions of Painting, New York, 1973, pp. 24-25). The present work is a study for a 1925 oil painting of the same title (see fig. 1) and bears remarkable similarities to the finished composition; aside from reorienting the spool of thread and making minor modifications to the table leg, Léger seems to have maintained the drawing’s essential compositional schema.