A miniscule Picasso mounted on a ring will be among the stars of Sotheby’s much anticipated Actual Size sale.
Picasso made the piece in the 1930s for his muse Dora Maar after she threw another ring into the Seine during a heated row.
Picasso made this ring for muse Dora Maar in the 1930s
Maar and Picasso met in 1935, while he was still with his previous muse and lover Marie-Therese Walter.
He was attracted to Maar’s stormy personality. She inspired some of his most celebrated works, including the Weeping Woman (1937).
This ring displays a small drawing of Maar housed in a floral casing.
"Picasso has depicted a world on a scale so intimate you can hold an entire artistic vision on your finger”, said Thomas Bompard, curator of the sale.
"Sometimes the smallest of things can contain a universe of thought and emotion, and so it is with this ring – an intimate piece that allows us a captivating glimpse into secrets that might otherwise not be shared.
"Picasso conceived this ring just as he was working on his large-scale masterpiece Guernica: one of his greatest art historical achievements coinciding with an extraordinary emotional masterpiece in miniature."
The lot is expected to make around £500,000 ($635,000) in the June 21 auction in London.
We have this amazing Picasso autograph for sale.
The sale will also feature a miniature watercolour by Cezanne.
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