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Etching and aquatint, 1934, on Montval laid paper, signed in pencil, from the edition of 50 (there were also 250 impressions on smaller format paper), printed by Lacourière, published by Ambroise Vollard, Paris, 50 × 38 cm. (19.7 × 15 in.)
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.
This is the 24th plate in La Suite Vollard, Picasso’s most important series of etchings, and was realised on 19th November 1934, with the Henri Petiet number “386” in the lower left corner.
