Paul Cézanne: Black Marble Clock

It is astonishing to see how the young Cezanne is able to combine the finesse of tones separated by tiny intervals of brightness and hue with bold contrasts in the large areas and lines. The dominant white-grey-black pointed up with sharp yellow and red, and the breadth and virility of touch, recall Manet but the profusion of things, the varied execution, in places thick and rough, elsewhere thin and transparent, and, above all, the monstrosity of the shell, reflect another temperament - more intense, involved, and ungainly. This (little) masterpiece is now part of a private collection.