MC ESCHER Sphere with Fishes woodcut on Japanese tissue paper

Lot: 5044

(Dutch 1898-1972)
Sphere Surface with Fish
Woodcut on Japanese tissue paper.
Image: 13 3/8 x 13 3/8 inches Sheet: 14 1/4 x 14 1/4 inches.
Signed in pencil lower left: MC Escher and annotated lower right in Dutch: eigendruk. Signed with initial stamp and date in the image bottom of the sphere: MCE VII 58.
Provenance: Purchased from the artist in the Netherlands by the owners grandfather and passed to the current owner through descent.
Literature: Bool, F.H. et al. M.C. Escher: His Life and Complete Graphic Work. Amsterdam: Meulenhoff, 1981 English-language edition, New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1982. no. 427
CONDITION: In overall good condition. The work has been restored by Zukor Art Conservation, Oakland CA in 2018. There was mechanical separation of the print from mount by delimitating board down to the last layer reassessment of possible removal of heat-set tissue from the verso. Note: Testing showed that discolored heat-set tissue initially separated along one margin quite easily. The tissue had dried out and was brittle. The image area was also tested for removal it also came off without any loss or delimitation of the paper (ink very likely strengthened the thin support) and the image was cleared of the tissue. However, once the margins were returned to, that adhesive layer did not separate well and cracked the paper beneath. Solvents were tried to soften the adhesive (alcohol, acetone) but the un-printed margins were too fragile to be lifted. Since there was already partial removal of the print from the adhesive tissue, it was necessary to remove the fractured, partially adhered margins and line the print with a similar, Japanese tissue, original dimensions were retained.

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