Jean-Placide Mauclaire, Paris
Private Collection, Paris (by descent from the above and sold: Sotheby's, London, February 5, 2002, lot 33)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Paris, Studio 28, Exhibition for Luis Buñuel's film "L'Âge d'or," 1930

Max Ernst, La Femme de 100 têtes, Paris, 1929, illustration of the collage pl. 120
Werner Spies, Max Ernst—Collagen, Cologne, 1974, no. 282, illustration of the collage
Max Ernst: A Retrospective (exhibition catalogue), Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, 1975, illustration of the collage p. 145
Werner Spies, Sigrid & Günter Metken, Max Ernst, Werke, 1925-1929, Cologne, 1976, illustration of the collage p. 380
Max Ernst: Frottagen, Collagen, Zeichnungen, Graphik, Bücher (exhibition catalogue), Kunsthaus, Zurich & traveling, 1979, illustration of the collage n.p.
Gilbert Lascault, Sur la planète Max Ernst, Paris, 1991, illustration of the collage p. 90

The gelatin silver print has been laid down onto linen which is hinged to a backing board at four places along the edge of its verso.There are several nicks and repaired tears to the edges of the sheet as a well a few instances throughout the sheet, mostly in left half of the sheet, which appear to have been inpainted. 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.

This work is a unique photographic enlargement made by the artist of a collage titled Et les papillons se mettent à chanter created for his first collage-novel La Femme 100 têtes, published in 1929 with a foreword by André Breton. This photograph was exhibited, along with works by Dalí, Miró and Man Ray, at the premiere of Luis Buñuel's film L'Âge d'or an event that was ransacked by an extremist group opposed to the ideas of Surrealism, and was one of the few pieces to survive the destruction. The splatters of green ink on the photograph are likely to be the result of this vandalism.

Dr. Jürgen Pech has confirmed the authenticity of this work.