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Premium MILLON
73
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Marc CHAGALL (Vitebsk 1887 – Saint-Paul-de-Vence 1985)
See original version (French)
73
-
Marc CHAGALL (Vitebsk 1887 – Saint-Paul-de-Vence 1985)
See original version (French)
Estimate €25,000 - €30,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Marc CHAGALL (Vitebsk 1887 – Saint-Paul-de-Vence 1985)
Thank you for the sausage
Created in 1976
Graphite, tempera and oil pastel on paper
19.5 x 56 cm
Inscribed, dated and signed in the lower right-hand corner: “In thanks for the sausage, thank you Jules, Marc Chagall 1976”
We would like to thank the Marc Chagall Committee for confirming the authenticity of this work. A certificate of authenticity will be provided to the purchaser.
Provenance:
Estate of Jules Cavaillès, then passed down through the family
Marc Chagall, born Moïche Zakharovitch Chagalov, was a Belarusian painter, draughtsman and engraver of the École de Paris. He was born in 1887 in Vitebsk. In 1907, he began his artistic training at the School of Painting and Drawing run by the painter Yuri Pen in his hometown. He moved to Saint Petersburg and initially enrolled at the drawing school founded by the Imperial Society for the Protection of Fine Arts, directed by the painter and philosopher Nicholas Roerich. Then, in 1909, he took classes with Léon Bakst at the Zvantseva Art School.
In 1910, thanks to MP Vivaner, who financed his journey, Chagall travelled to Paris. He settled at La Ruche and attended the Académie de la Palette as well as the Académie de la Grande-Chaumière. In 1914, he left for Berlin before returning to Vitebsk. In 1915, he married Bella Rosenfeld in Vitebsk. From 1918 to 1920, he served as the fine arts commissioner for the Vitebsk region. The painter then returned to Moscow, where he painted sets for Yiddish theatre productions. In 1922 he left for Berlin and then returned to Paris in 1923, at which time he met the art dealer Ambroise Vollard. The painter spent several years between 1927 and 1929 at Mas Lloret in Céret.
This work marks the friendship between Marc Chagall and Jules Cavaillès. Jules Cavaillès arrived in Paris in 1921, aged 20, with his wife Rose Féral. He then settled at La Ruche, the artists’ community in Montparnasse, and gradually devoted himself to painting. His association with numerous artists helped to broaden his artistic horizons.
The artists had been rubbing shoulders since the 1930s at artistic events and exhibitions. The small shop that Cavaillès ran with his wife Rose, first in Choisy-le-Roi and then on Rue de l’Abbé-Groult in Paris’s 15th arrondissement, became, in particular, an informal meeting place where Chagall, Matisse, Derain and Bonnard would gather.
The friendship between Chagall and Cavaillès developed after the Second World War. The two painters then saw each other regularly and shared ‘good times’ at the Cavaillès’ home in Épineuil, in Cannes and in Paris, where they were almost neighbours.
Family accounts trace the history of this work:
On returning from a stay in Albi in early 1976, Jules Cavaillès presented Chagall with a famous symbol of the Occitan south-west – a sausage! In return, the master presented him with this beautiful and touching work, a testament to the friendship that bound them together.
We would like to thank Mr Bruno Crusel, a specialist in the work of the painter Jules Cavaillès, for the information he has kindly provided.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Lot description modified on 10/08/2026 at 10:13 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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