The Last Teapot by Georges Braque
We discovered an overlooked masterpiece by the co-founder of Cubism
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A Masterpiece Rediscovered
In the final years of his life, Georges Braque produced only a handful of paintings. Although his oeuvre is documented in a comprehensive seven-volume catalogue raisonné, the last six years of his creative activity remain uncatalogued. We believe our painting marks the beginning of this undocumented period and that Braque continued working on it until his death in 1963.
While many of his late works are intimate landscapes, Braque ultimately returned to his lifelong passion: still life — and one of his most cherished subjects, the humble black teapot, which he painted numerous times. We believe his final depiction of the teapot is also his most abstract, reflecting his growing fascination with American Abstract Expressionism and Zen philosophy.
Research Reveals
“Théière avec Raisins" (Teapot with Grapes) was displayed in the backroom of a Christie’s Impressionist and Modern art sale in London, incompletely titled and incorrectly dated.
Quentin Laurens, the rights owner to the Braque estate and the sole authenticator, confirmed directly that the painting was in Braque’s studio at the time of his passing in 1963 and was unsigned as it was never offered for sale.
Standing before it, we were struck by its dimensionality - paint and texture erupting from the surface in layers that could only come from extended creation.
We uncovered a photograph as part of a MoMa exhibition of Alexander Liberman (29th October 1959) which subsequently became the front cover of his seminal book The Artist in His Studio - featuring essays and photographs of the greatest artists of the day. In the organised chaos which was Braque’s studio, our painting, at an earlier stage of execution, is prominently displayed.
The Collection
We zoomed in. Extreme magnification revealed the enormous range of colours, layers and textures that cannot be easily seen with the naked eye.
This has inspired us to create 144 unique artworks printed on our one-of-a-kind paper made out of a 350 year-old oak tree, signed, numbered 1/1 with their blockchain authentication and chain of provenance directly linked to the original painting. The "Teapot Fragments" exist in both physical and digital form.
We are in the process of commissioning a silver teapot by one of the world's last master spinners.
Rewards of Patience
True impact is rarely instantaneous. This project represents OCTARR’s commitment to "slow-growth" value—the belief that by holding and nurturing world-class instruments like the cello over time, we unlock deeper social and financial dividends. It is a transition from the volatility of speculation to the stability of stewardship.
By participating in this fractional model, stakeholders are not just waiting for market appreciation; they are investing in the "performance life" of the asset. As the instrument matures through use by world-class artists, its cultural and historical significance compounds. This is the essence of patient capital: a strategic delay in gratification that allows for cultural preservation, artistic mastery, and shared economic resilience to flourish in unison.
Georges Braque's Passport
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