Lithograph on paper. Featuring a surrealist scene of a fish, wading. Signed MC Escher and inscribed 30/100 on the lower right and lower left corner, respectively. Attributed to M. C. Escher (1898-1972, Dutch). 16 x 12 cm (6.3 x 4.7 inches).

M.C. Escher (1898-1972) was a Dutch graphic artist known for his iconic optical illusions. His lithographs, woodcuts, engravings, and drawings expressed a high level of technical expertise and meticulous attention to detail. Their puzzling depictions of tessellating staircases and interlocking spaces, offered up visual conundrums to the viewer. “I can't keep from fooling around with our irrefutable certainties,” the artist once remarked. “It is, for example, a pleasure knowingly to mix up two and three dimensionalities, flat and spatial, and to make fun of gravity.” Born Maurits Cornelis Escher on June 17, 1898 in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, he studied graphic design at the School of Architecture and Decorative Arts in Haarlem from 1919–22. Influenced by the traditional drawings of Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer, Escher’s practice would in turn have affect on the Op Art movement. He died on March 27, 1972 in Laren, Netherlands at the age of 73. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, and the Escher in Het Paleis in The Hague, among others.

All lots that do not carry established documented provenance nor any past record of auction history record are described in the catalog as attributed .

All authorship of items in this catalog are described according to the following terms:

Signed [Artist Name] : In cases in which the signature is legible in the lot, this work is described as-is with no attributions given.

By [Artist Name] : The work is by the artist.

Attributed to [Artist Name] : The work may be ascribed to the artist on the basis of style, but there may be some question as to actual authorship.

In the manner of [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but was designed deliberately to emulate the style of the artist.

After [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but is a deliberate copy of a known work by the artist.

Circle of [Artist Name] : A work of the period of the artist showing his influence, closely associated with the artist but not necessarily his pupil.

Follower of [Artist Name]: A work by a pupil or a follower of the artist (not necessarily a pupil).

American, 19th century : This work was executed by an unknown hand, and can only be identified by origin (i.e., region, period).