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Self-Constructed Little Machine

A work made of graphite with pen and black ink on tan wove paper.
© 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

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  • A work made of graphite with pen and black ink on tan wove paper.

Date:

1919/20

Artist:

Max Ernst
American and French, born Germany, 1891-1976

About this artwork

Status

On View, Gallery 397

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Max Ernst

Title

Self-Constructed Little Machine

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1919–1920

Medium

Graphite with pen and black ink on tan wove paper

Inscriptions

Signed, lower right: "dadamax ernst"; inscribed, lower left: "SELBSTKONSTRUIERTES MASCHINCHEN IN DIESEM VERRÜHRT ER/MEERSALAT LEITARTIKEL LEIDTRAGENDE UND EISENSAMEN/IN ZYLINDERN AUS BESTEM MUTTERKORN SODAß VORNE DIE/ENTWICKELUNG UND RÜCKWÄRTS DIE ANATOMIE ZU SEHEN IST/DER PREIS STELLT SICH DANN UM 4 MARK HÖHER" (self-constructed little machine in which he mixes sea salad, editorial mourner and iron sperm into cylinders of the best ergot so that the development can be seen in front and the anatomy in back the price is then about 4 marks higher); inscribed, lower center: "PETITE MACHINE CONSTRUITE PAR LUI-MÊME/IL Y MÉLANGE LA SALADE DE MER LA SPERME/DE FER LE PÉRISPERME AMER DE L'UNE CÔTÉ/NOUS VOYONS L'ÉVOLUTION DE L'AUTRE L'ANA-/TOMIE ÇA COUTE 2 SOUS PLUS CHER" (a little machine constructed by himself in which he mixes sea salad iron sperm bitter perisperm on one side we see the evolution on the other the anatomy it costs 2 cents more)

Dimensions

46.6 × 31.5 cm (18 3/8 × 12 7/16 in.)

Credit Line

Lindy and Edwin Bergman Collection

Reference Number

2018.315

Copyright

© 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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