Galerie Simon, Paris
Galerie Louise Leiris, Paris
Private Collection, Switzerland (acquired from the above in 1946)
Private Collection, Switzerland (by descent from the above)
Private Collection, Germany (acquired by 1992; sale: Sotheby's, London, 25th June 1997, lot 212)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Bern, Kunsthalle, Ecole de Paris, 1946, no. 41
Bern, Kunsthalle, Europäische Kunst aus Berner Privatbesitz, 1953, no. 14, illustrated in the catalogue

Schweiz Suisse Svizzera Switzerland, April 1953, no. 4, illustrated p. 18
Maeght Editeur (ed.), Catalogue de l'œuvre de Georges Braque, Peintures 1936-1941, Paris, 1961, n.n., illustrated p. 89

The canvas is not lined. Examination under UV light reveals a small spot of retouching to each of the lower corners and another to the left part of the upper edge. There is a small spot of paint loss to the B of the artist's signature. Further fine lines of paint loss are visible to the lower edge of the cheese plate and the upper edge of the frying pan as well as the edge of the table, just above the tea towel. The stretcher is very slightly warped due to its current frame. The number 42 is faintly visible beneath the artist's signature, this appears to have been possibly added by another hand and subsequently painted over with a water-based grey pigment. This work is in good overall 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Les Œufs dans la poêle was painted in 1941, shortly after the German occupation of France. From Autumn 1940 until the Liberation of Paris, Braque lived a reclusive life in his studio. This, inevitably, was a period of shortages and deprivation during which Braque, through his art, brought out the precious, even treasured quality of day to day food products, which become objects of almost philosophical contemplation during his work of the period. Jean Leymarie considered that: 'during the war Braque concentrated with great force and simplicity on the tutelary virtues of objects' (Jean Leymarie, Georges Braque, Munich, 1988, n.p.).