Just below the center of the work the letters ‘BACH JS’ reveal to the viewer what the artist is illustrating, a visual interpretation of the beauty and splendor of classical music. Composed primarily in natural earth tones of brown, yellow, black, tan and grey, the linear dissection of the page appears like music notes on a scale at varying heights, lengths and tones in a unified composition. The painterly quality of the work adds a richness of depth and texture, giving the viewer a visual sense of the layered effect sound can create when it is a masterpiece.  Pieces of musical instruments are revealed as one looks closely at the work, at the right a curved end of a stringed instrument makes us wonder if it could be a violin or a cello and from what musical work the artist was inspired by.The ‘S’ curves at the center of the image appear to be a continuation of the same instrument, with hints of the base and strings dispersed nearby. At the center, Braque uses deeper tones of brown and grey, and as the work expands out the edges of the page he uses lighter and brighter hues, giving a sense of lightness to the image.

Created c.1956, this color etching and aquatint was based on an original painting created between 1911 and 1912. Hand signed by Georges Braque (Argenteuil, Val d’Oise, 1882 – Paris, 1963) in pencil in the lower right and numbered from the edition of 300 in pencil in the lower left margin. Published by Maeght éditeur, Paris c.1956, this work was printed in collaboration with Georges Visat under the direction of Braque; Visat’s name is engraved in the plate in the lower left.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
This work is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the final sale of the work).

1. Vallier, Dora. Braque: The Complete Graphics. New York: Gallery Books, 1982. Illustrated and listed as catalogue raisonné no. 1019.
2. Mullins, Edwin. The Art of Georges Braque. The original painting is listed as catalogue raisonné no. 49.
3. de Romilly, Nicole Worms and Jean Laude. Braque: Cubism 1907-1914, 1982. The original painting is listed as cat no 122.
4. Rubin, William. Picasso and Braque: Pioneering Cubism, 1989. The original painting is listed on pg. 215.
5. The etching is listed in the Maeght archives as no. 1019.
6. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

About the Framing:
This work is framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, presented in a complimentary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.