Pablo Picasso

PABLO PICASSO (Malaga, 1881 - Mougins, France, 1973).
"Visage larvé". From the collection "Gold Medallion".1967.
Gold 23 kts, 6/20.
Edition limited to 20 copies.
Publisher Pierre Hugo.
Signature of the artist and engraved numbers on the back.
In its original wooden case.
Measurements: 5 cm. diameter (medallion); 13 x 13 x 3 cm. (box).

Each of the fifteen pendant medallions of the "Gold Medallion" series bears the signature of the artist and the reference and edition numbers of François Hugo. Conceived in 1956 and produced after 1967, in a numbered edition of 20 copies, plus 2 artist's and 2 author's copies.

Picasso's fascination with exploring new media leads us to his representation of a favorite motif: a fish resting inside another fish. The theme appears in his ceramic works, such as "Grand Poisson (Big Fish), 1956," but it is in gold that the delicacy and intricacy of the two fish come to life. The line is beautiful and the whimsy is beautifully expressed in this rare medium.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Picasso commissioned Francois Victor-Hugo, one of the most accomplished goldsmiths working in France at the time, to execute a series of gold and silver fountains, plates and medallions from original models he had designed. These fountains and medallions were individually selected, designed, viewed, approved and appreciated by Picasso during his lifetime with such fervor that, at first, he never intended to sell them for profit.

Thus, at first, their existence was shrouded in secrecy. Picasso refused to lend any of them to galleries and museums and hid them from visitors to his home, opting instead to keep them as a private treasure. However, Picasso yielded to Hugo's insistence and, in 1967, authorized him to make a small "numbered edition" of each for sale. They were not sold publicly, but sent to their respective buyers, so they attracted hardly any publicity, which made them quite rare. Working together for the next ten years, Picasso and Hugo created nineteen gold medallions and in each series twenty complete series were made plus two reserved for the artist, each series consisting of nineteen gold medallions.