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an image of a drawing of a woman and a doga black book with a white stripe on the covera black and white drawing of a comic strip with cats on ita drawing of a man and a woman in front of a mirroran image of a drawing of a man and a woman standing in front of a mirror
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158 - [PICASSO].– BALZAC (Honoré de)
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Estimate €25,000 - €30,000
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Description
[PICASSO].– BALZAC (Honoré de) Paris, Ambroise Vollard, 1931. The Unknown Masterpiece. Quarto (33 x 25.5 cm), in folio, printed cover with inlay, later box.   A famous edition published by Vollard to mark the centenary of the original. It is illustrated with 13 original etchings (including the table of figures) by Picasso and 67 of his drawings engraved on wood by Georges Aubert. Limited edition of 340 numbered copies; one of the 240 on Rives vellum paper (no. 254). The etchings are gathered here in a folder at the end of the volume. ‘A fantastical tale, an enigmatic philosophical narrative, *The Unknown Masterpiece* never ceases to provoke reflection on the essence of art. Is Frenhofer the prophet of modernity in the depiction of the human being? Is he mad?” (Stéphane Harcourt) In 1926, the art dealer and publisher Ambroise Vollard commissioned Picasso to produce engravings to illustrate this text by Balzac. The spine is discoloured, and the edges of some pages are slightly discoloured. Bibliography Goeppert-Cramer, Picasso, no. 20. The Artist and the Book, no. 225. Carteret, Illustrés, IV, p. 51 (‘a rare and highly sought-after edition; it is highly prized for the geometric illustrations by a leading modern artist”). Limited edition. Vollard, *Petiet et l’estampe de maîtres*, p. 49.
See original version (French)
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About the sale Books, Manuscripts & Antique Engravings, including the José Luis Dotti Library
Auction location
Auction time 09/23/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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