Original maquette for the book Le Pot de Fleurs de la mere Ubu by Ambroise Vollard.1924

Jean Puy

1876 – Roanne – 1960

Literature: Johnson incorrectly refers to another work under this title, see Johnson (1944) cat. no. 133. Johnson mistakes this work for Candide in the 1977 edition, under number 210. Not recorded by Jentsch.

Comprising thirty-four ink drawings on fine drawing paper by Jean Puy, pasted down in an album with the typed text of Vollard. From the cropping of the text it appears that the drawings were made directly onto text pages, which were then subsequently divided and pasted in the album, presumably providing the publisher with the maquette for the placement of the illustrations in relation to the text. Overall size: 41.5 x 30.5 cm.

On 29 April 1920 Puy wrote to Vollard: “This morning I received the “Mère Ubu” and I enjoyed myself very much while reading the episodes that you have told me and which are really entertaining. I do not know if you have the intention to relate them, but I find them absolutely good the way they are, and they have so much Humour that they make one laugh.” MS 421 (2,2) 420.

On 29 October Vollard's accounts record a payment of Fr 15,000 to Puy for this work (MS 421 (2,3) 261).

The project was never completed and the illustrations were never published. Indeed, there is no record that the drawings were ever being translated into printed images. Due to the sexually explicit nature of the images, it is possible that the publication would have been too restricted by the censors and the project was subsequently abandoned.

Una Johnson records a set of ten lithographs under the title Le Pot de Fleurs de la mère Ubu, however their subjects bear no relation to the drawings of the maquette, and indeed do not appear to relate to Vollard’s text.

Bought within the art trade.