La Comtesse de Monte Cristo - Les Bouteilles. The Bottles. by René Magritte, 1898-1967

René Magritte, 1898-1967
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La Comtesse de Monte Cristo - Les Bouteilles. The Bottles.

Etching in black ink. 1965/1966. Signed in pencil. Numbered (43) in pencil from the edition of 77 impressions. (Total edition of 92 impressions plus a very few proofs). Printed at the studio of J. Rigal, Paris 1966. Issued in the series: L'Aube à l'Antipode, Paris 1966.
Ref: Kaplan and Baum - Magritte Graphic Work no 6

Excellent impression with strong inking. On pale cream wove Richard de Bas paper. Generally excellent condition; faintest trace of old edge mounting on the reverse of the sheet only, one tiny repaired fault in the paper in the blank upper left of the sheet, virtually invisible except with a magnifying glass; otherwise excellent. Full margins. Sheet: 15 1/8 x 11 1/8ins. Plate:8 1/4x 6 1/4ins (208x159mm)

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One of the best known and most sought-after themes in Magritte's work is that of the 'bottle figure'. He used this idea both in the form of actual bottles painted with a face and body and as a drawn image in paintings. This is the only print in his graphic oeuvre which incorporates this idea.

The 'bottle figure' is a motif which links to Magritte's desire to make the viewer see totally mundane everyday objects in a different way. The form of a bottle is instantly known for what it is - an empty or full container. Painted with the representation of a figure the viewer has to decide whether it is a depiction of a figure or whether, as it is still in the bottle shape, the figure is inside or outside its form. This challenge to the accepted manner of looking, and the use of elements of humour, is absolutely characteristic of Magritte's contribution to the concepts of Surrealism and the expression of the subconscious.