Georges Braque

Le Lierre [Ivy] Vallier 99 etching in two colours (black for the keyplate and dark olive green for the textured ground), 1955, the only known state, from the first (and only) edition of 75, numbered "30/75" in pencil lower left, signed in pencil lower right,  on medium-thick handmade Auvergne paper, a very fine impression with full margins, very slight and uniform light-staining overall, slight discoloration around extreme edges (verso), mounted with tape, otherwise in quite excellent condition P. 365 x 337 mm., S. 558 x 456 mm. * Provenance: a private French collection

After World War II, following on his collaboration with Ambroise Vollard, Georges Braque began to work with Aimé Maeght, who had just opened his gallery in Paris.  With newfound ardour, he explored his fondest themes in producing a variety of high-quality prints, the most important of which focused on the still-life through the simplified forms and refined textures that could be derived from the various media. **

In the present case, he used multiple zinc plates (since cancelled), ostensibly following Pissarro's recherches, to give a refined grain to to the print ground.

* Vallier's dimensions however are somewhat approximative, as she gives 347 mm for plate width, which does not concord. 

** It is worthwhile here, from the strict viewpoint of simplification of form, to compare Braque's  printmaking endeavours with those of both Ellworth Kelly and later Donald Sultan...