FRANCESC TODÓ | STILL LIFE WITH BOTTLE AND VASE (CHÂTEAU BARBEYROLLES) | GEOMETRIC SYNTHESIS | LITHOGRAPHIC PROCESS SET (3 PIECES)
An exceptional documentary lot comprised of a validated Artist's Proof (P.A.) and two State Proofs with full margins. A fascinating visual journey through the printing workshop that allows one to understand the evolution of color and form step by step.
HISTORY AND CURATORIAL ANALYSIS
The elegance of the everyday and formal synthesis
Francesc Todó (Barcelona, 1922 - 2016) elevates the classic still life genre through his unmistakable artistic language. The composition, featuring a wine bottle and a vase with floral motifs, dispenses with superfluous ornaments to focus on harmony, structural balance, and an almost architectural geometry. All of this is enveloped in the palette of soft, cool, and pastel colors (blues, lavenders, dry greens, and ochres) that defines the author's maturity, conveying a deep and sophisticated Mediterranean serenity.
The documentary value: Anatomy of a lithograph in three phases
The great curatorial appeal of this set lies in the possibility of owning the technical deconstruction of the original work. The lot articulates the creative process in three visual stages:
The Structure Proof (Base State): Shows the first color matrices, establishing the main masses and allowing the underlying drawing to be observed without the interference of final details.
The Advanced Color Proof: A later workshop state where color saturations and stone registration are adjusted, keeping the working margins intact.
The Final Work (Artist's Proof - P.A.): The finished piece, where the bottle acquires its final label (Château Barbeyrolles) and the composition reaches its definitive balance, validated and signed by the master outside the commercial edition.
WHY IS THIS PIECE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUR COLLECTION?
Pedagogical and Technical Value: Acquiring the complete "evolutionary study" of a graphic work is a rarity. This triptych allows the collector to glimpse into the artist's mind and the master printer's expertise, understanding how inks are skillfully layered to construct the image.
Archive Exclusivity: None of the three pieces belong to the standard commercial edition. The Artist's Proof was reserved for the author's private collection, and the state proofs, with their registration marks and uncut margins, are exclusive workshop documents that rarely see public light.
Aesthetic and Exhibition Potential: Framed together (either as a triptych or in linear progression), the three lithographs generate a powerful museum-quality discourse. The repetitive cadence of the same image, chromatically evolving from a wash to the final work, gives it a top-tier "graphic cabinet" feel.
TECHNICAL DATA
Artist: Francesc Todó (Barcelona, 1922 - 2016).
Title / Theme: Still life with bottle and vase (Château Barbeyrolles). Evolutionary lot of 3 pieces.
Period: Contemporary Art (Lyrical and synthetic figuration from Catalonia).
Technique and Medium: Original lithograph (Artist's Proof and 2 State Proofs) on heavy-weight lithographic art paper.
Dimensions: Final work (P.A.): 29 x 33 cm | State Proofs (full uncut format): 34 x 36 cm.
Signature and Inscriptions: The final work is signed and marked "P.A." in pencil by the artist's hand in the lower margin. The two state proofs retain the technical registration marks and pencil/ink alignment marks in their margins.
Provenance: Archive / Workshop collection.
Condition: Very good. All three prints maintain the structural integrity of the paper, clean margins, and magnificent original chromatic vibrancy without oxidation.
THE WORKSHOP'S NOTE
The truly differentiating element of this triptych is the raw nature of its artisanal process. Observing the alignment mark in the corner of the State Proofs is not an aesthetic flaw, but rather tactile and physical proof of how the workshop meticulously aligned the heavy limestone slabs to precisely apply each color. It is a masterclass in the history of graphic arts encapsulated in the unmistakable and elegant poetics of Francesc Todó.
Includes Collector's Dossier: This artwork is accompanied by an exhaustive research study, technical sheet, and curatorial context prepared and printed by El Taller del Coleccionista, certifying our research and known provenance.
