Winged Bull Watched by Four Children, from: The Suite Vollard | Taureau ailé contemplé par quatre enfants: La Suite Vollard, 1934
Original Hand Signed Etching on Wove Paper
34 x 44.8 cm. / 13.4 x 17.6 in.
This original etching is hand signed by the artist "Picasso" at the lower right.
It was printed in by Lacourière in a limited edition of 250 impressions and published by Ambroise Vollard, Paris.
This is the 13th plate in La Suite Vollard, Picasso's most important series of etchings, and was realised in December 1934.
Note: The Suite Vollard, created between 1930 and 1937, was named after its publisher, the French art dealer and critic Ambroise Vollard. Picasso and Vollard shared a close working relationship up until 1910; however, after this date Vollard was no longer Picasso’s dealer though the two continued to collaborate on publishing projects. In 1930, Vollard, encouraged by the success of two earlier ventures, ambitiously commissioned 100 plates from Picasso and by 1937 the plates were completed and given to master printer Roger Lacourière to print. The entire edition comprises 3 copies on parchment, 50 copies on larger format Montval paper (50 x 38 cm.) and 250 on smaller format Montval paper 44.5 x 34 cm.). Tragically, Ambroise Vollard died in a car crash on 22 July 1939 leaving the project temporarily suspended, until a greater part of the edition was purchased by the print dealer Henri Marie Petiet. After World War II, Petiet engaged Picasso to sign a certain number of sets, and this continued up until 1969 but ceased with the publication of the 347 Series. Hence, a large number of the prints from the edition of 250 remain unsigned.
Provenance: Galleria Dell’Ariete, Milan
Literature:
1. Bloch, G. (1968). Pablo Picasso: Tome I, Catalogue of the Printed Graphic Work 1904-1967. Bern: Editions Kornfeld et Klipstein.
Reference: Bloch 229.
2. Baer, B. (1992). Picasso: Peintre-Graveur, Tome II, Catalogue Raisonne de l'OEuvre Grave. Bern: Editions Kornfeld.
Reference: Baer 444.
Condition: Very good condition. The upper left sheet corner missing. Skilfully repaired tear in the upper sheet edge. Remnants of adhesive along the sheet edges, verso.