Pablo Picasso - Le Tricorne - 1919-1920

Pablo Picasso (1881–1973)
Le Tricorne (The Three-Cornered Hat)
Éditions Paul Rosenberg, Paris, 1920
Copy No. 168 – A Provenance-Enriched Example with Atelier History, Historical Annotations and Associated Ephemera
Published in Paris by Éditions Paul Rosenberg in 1920, Le Tricorne is universally regarded as one of Pablo Picasso's earliest and most important illustrated portfolios. Created in conjunction with Serge Diaghilev's legendary Ballets Russes, the publication reproduces Picasso's celebrated costume and stage designs for Manuel de Falla's ballet Le Tricorne (The Three-Cornered Hat), choreographed by Léonide Massine. Premiered in London in 1919 before achieving great success in Paris the following year, the production marked one of the defining collaborations between Picasso and the world of theatre, reflecting his transition from Cubism toward a renewed Classical style inspired by Mediterranean tradition and Spanish folklore.
Issued in a strictly limited edition of 250 numbered copies, the portfolio contains 32 original pochoir plates, reproducing Picasso's costume and stage designs by the luxurious hand-stencil process for which early twentieth-century French art publishing became renowned. The first 50 copies additionally included an original unpublished etching by Picasso together with a complete black-state suite of every plate. The present example is Copy No. 168, belonging to the standard numbered edition.
The portfolio is fully referenced in the principal catalogue raisonnés:
Cramer 8
Bloch 34
Miguel Orozco – Picasso: 70 Years of Book Illustration, No. 14
The present portfolio preserves its complete suite of 32 pochoir plates, the original title page, justification page, publisher's portfolio and the original embossed Paul Rosenberg blind stamps appearing on the plates.
Unlike a standard surviving example, however, this copy preserves an exceptional accumulation of historical material documenting several decades of ownership and studio use, transforming it into a genuinely provenance-enriched example.
Most notably, the justification page (No. 168) has been enhanced by the addition of a mounted photographic portrait of Pablo Picasso together with a handwritten Picasso signature from his early period 1920-1925 positioned beneath the photograph. Although this signature was added after publication and is not part of the original edition, it forms an integral part of the documented history of this particular copy.
The portfolio further bears repeated ownership stamps of André-Fernand "Andrey" Prévost (1890–1961), the French painter and decorator who studied under Fernand Cormon and exhibited at the Salon d'Automne, Salon des Tuileries, Salon des Indépendants and Salon des Humoristes. Two distinct studio stamps appear throughout the volume:
"Studio 9 – A. Prévost – Peintre-Décorateur – 189 Rue Ordener – Paris XVIII"
"Atelier 9 – Andrey-Prévost – 189 Rue Ordener – Paris XVIII – Tél. MON. 50-62"
These repeated impressions firmly associate the portfolio with Prévost's atelier at 189 Rue Ordener, located within the celebrated Cité Montmartre-aux-Artistes, one of Paris' most important artists' studio complexes established during the early twentieth century. The repeated studio marks strongly suggest that the portfolio remained in Prévost's workshop for an extended period rather than merely passing through as a temporary possession.
The portfolio also preserves an intriguing contemporary manuscript inscription on the front cover identifying the copy as:
"No. 168"
while a second handwritten historical note inside the portfolio records:
"Épuisé – Les exemplaires de cet ouvrage furent détruits par les Boches en 1940…"
Translated into English, the inscription states approximately:
"Out of print – The copies of this work were destroyed by the Germans in 1940…"
The note continues with a reference to the Rosenberg family, reflecting the wartime fate of Paul Rosenberg's publishing activities following the German occupation of France. Whether written by a member of the Rosenberg family or recording information attributed to them, the annotation remains a fascinating historical document preserved with this individual copy.
Accompanying the portfolio is an original newspaper clipping reproducing Picasso's portrait of Henri Martin, one of the best-known French anti-war political figures of the post-war period. While the Picasso signature beneath the portrait is printed as part of the original reproduction, the clipping itself bears an apparent handwritten blue-ink autograph of Henri Martin, creating an unusual piece of associated ephemera linking Picasso's portrait with the signature of its sitter.
Additional newspaper clippings and documentary material preserved within the portfolio further reinforce its long association with the artistic environment of Prévost's atelier, providing an unusually rich historical context extending well beyond the original publication itself.
Overall contents comprise:
Complete portfolio.
Complete suite of 32 original pochoir plates.
Original title page.
Original justification page numbered 168.
Original publisher's blind stamps.
Mounted photographic portrait of Pablo Picasso.
Later handwritten Picasso signature beneath the portrait.
Multiple Studio 9 / Atelier 9 Andrey-Prévost ownership stamps.
Contemporary manuscript historical annotations relating to the Rosenberg editions during the Second World War.
Original newspaper portrait of Henri Martin after Picasso bearing an apparent autograph of Henri Martin.
Additional contemporary documentary ephemera preserved with the portfolio.
Rather than representing simply another surviving copy of Le Tricorne, this example documents a remarkable post-publication history. The combination of the Picasso signature on the justification page, the documented ownership by Andrey-Prévost, the repeated atelier stamps from 189 Rue Ordener, the wartime manuscript annotations concerning the Rosenberg editions, and the accompanying Henri Martin signed ephemera gives this portfolio a distinctive historical identity extending far beyond the standard edition. It is both an important early Picasso publication and a unique documentary witness to its passage through the artistic and cultural milieu of twentieth-century Paris.
While the inside plates are in perfevt condition the covers are detached as it happens wuth most of this issues
Overall very good condition for a portfolio of this age /over 106 years old
Sent tracked and insured