Estate of the artist
Sale: Sotheby's, Tel Aviv, May 30, 1989, lot 36
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

This work is in excellent condition. Executed on white wove paper, not laid down. Sheet is affixed to a mount at several places around perimeter on verso. The edges are deckled. The sheet undulates overall, likely due to the artist's use of medium. The medium is very well preserved and the colors, especially in the bouquet, are bright and fresh and richly textured. There are a few tiny nicks to the extreme perimeter of the sheet .
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 subject of colorful bouquets of flowers captivated Chagall since the late 1920s, and indeed it is a theme he explored seemingly without end in his oeuvre. In 1924, while in Toulon in the South of France, the artist first began to admire the charm of flowers; he later claimed that he had not known of flowers in Russia, and they came to represent France for him. Writing about the subject of flowers in Chagall’s work, Franz Meyer comments, "Many are simple still lifes with a bunch of red roses and white lilacs; in others, pairs of lovers and air-borne fiddlers gambol through space. The atmosphere encompasses and pervades the flowers like a magically light airy fluid, vibrant with their vitality" (Franz Meyer, Marc Chagall, New York, 1963, p. 369). Lovers with Flowers is a quintessential example of how Chagall has allowed his imagination to govern the paintbrush, presenting the viewer with various uses of iconography romanticizing different facets of his lifetime.