Susan L. Aberth, Leonora Carrington. Surrealism, Alchemy and Art, London, 2004, no. 52, p. 80, illustrated in color
Angeliska Polacheck, "Leonora Carrington-6 April 1917 -25 May 2011," Coilhouse Magazine + Blog, May 2011, illustrated in color

This work is unlined, but the tacking edges have been reinforced and it has been re-stretched. The paint layer has been restored across the top edge and along a few spots on the bottom edge. However, the bulk of the work itself is very well preserved. All of the scraping and thinness in the painting is original and typical of the artist. The work should be hung as is. This condition report has been provided courtesy of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.
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.
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Leonora Carrington: painter, poet, novelist, playwright, set designer, costume designer, mother, wife, muse and medieval cook. There is so much more one can one say about this Anglo–Irish artist who lived the excitement of the Surrealist group in Paris and New York, the perils of World War II, time in a sanitarium,  who finally came to settle in Mexico City in 1941.

From the Celtic legends her Irish nanny told her, mysticism and religions she studied, literature she read and the life she led, Carrington created a magical world  where she reigned as the Conjurer (el Nigromante). On the stage, the mysterious figure – with a half black and half white mask and fish like Egyptian eyes, holds a multi-limbed Shiva like monkey figure with a never ending curling tail on its shoulder. The dark left hand points towards the floor below the stage. The white hand points towards a table or altar where blue eggs are piled up with a tiny chess figure, a pyramid and a bottledꦉ bird. Underneath the table awaits one of her mysterious animals – an anteater perhaps ? All the while, atop the left hand part of the stage set, a group of translucent white butterflies dance and side step like ethereal elves in the Irish woods.