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a pile of old papers with drawings on them
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254 - Jean SIGNOVERT (1919–1981) after Georges BRAQUE (1882–1963)
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Estimate €500 - €800
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Description
Jean SIGNOVERT (1919–1981) after Georges BRAQUE (1882–1963) A set of 21 preparatory drawings for engravings, produced by Jean Signovert after original drawings by Georges Braque, comprising: *The Chariot*, *Heraclitus of Ephesus*, profiles of women and studies for the book *Milarepa*. Graphite drawings, occasionally enhanced with colour, on tracing paper. Circa 1950. Various dimensions. Stains, wear and tears. In good overall condition. Provenance: Jean Signovert’s studio, then passed down through the family. An important collection of twenty-one working documents originating directly from Jean Signovert’s studio and reproducing, by tracing, various drawings by Georges Braque. The presence of this collection in Signovert’s studio must be understood within the context of the close collaboration between the two artists at the turn of the 1950s. Signovert met Braque in 1949 and worked alongside him for around five years. A printmaker particularly sought after for his technical mastery, he did not confine himself to developing his own body of work: using the hand press in his studio, he helped to transfer and print the engravings of several of the leading artists of his time. His collaboration with Braque is notably documented in *Milarepa*, published by Maeght in 1950. The volume contains five engravings. This collaboration clearly went beyond a strictly professional relationship: several postcards, photographs and autographed notes sent by Braque to Signovert, some of which are dated 1951 and 1952, bear witness to the ongoing personal relationship between the two men. The twenty-one tracings presented here are likely to be preparatory documents from this process of translating the drawing into an engraving. Based on Braque’s compositions, they would have enabled Signovert to reproduce, study or adapt the original drawing before transferring it to the plate, as part of his work as the artist’s engraver and printer. The fact that they were kept together in Signovert’s studio and, above all, the now-documented role he played in the physical production of Braque’s engravings lend this collection particular significance: they bear witness to the generally invisible stages of work that separate the artist’s drawing from the finished print. Whilst the precise purpose of some of these 21 tracings is known, the purpose of others has not yet been established. The hypothesis that the tracing (and, by extension, the engraving) relating to Heraclitus of Ephesus was a preparatory study for a frontispiece for a reprint of the eponymous work cannot be ruled out, particularly in view of the regular collaboration between the two men.
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About the sale The Jean SIGNOVERT (1919–1981) Studio Collection: his prints, paintings, sculptures and friends
Auction location
Auction time 10/22/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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