HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954)
Deux profils
signed, inscribed and dated 'à Roger Lacourière bien cordialement Henri Matisse Mars 47' (upper center, on the title page); signed again (on the justification page)
pencil on paper
11 1/16 x 8 3/4 in (28.1 x 22.3 cm) (justification page)
11 1/16 x 17 5/8 in (28.1 x 44.8 cm) (sheet)
Executed in March 1947
Footnotes:
The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Georges Matisse.

Provenance
Roger Lacourière Collection (Atelier Lacourière-Frélaut), Paris (a gift from the artist).


This work was executed on the inside page of the book Les Fleurs du mal by Charles Baudelaire. Published in Paris in 1947 in a limited edition of 320 copies on Rives paper, including 300 copies numbered from 1 to 300, and 20 copies from A to T published from non-commercial collaborators, of which the present work is Exemplaire no. E.

The work comprises of the frontispiece and justification page, which have been unbound from the rest of the book. When open, a folding crease bisects the center of the sheet, where it is evident that two staples from the original binding have been removed.

On the frontispiece: some wear to along the upper edge; a soft, dog-eared crease (measuring 3.5 in) to the lower right corner. There are a few light spots of foxing.

On the justification page: an area of wear to the sheet's fibers to the lower right corner.

Subject to the foregoing, it is in our opinion that the work appears to be in excellent condition.