Still Life with Skull (Nature morte au crâne) from Le Siège de Jérusalem: Grande tentation céleste de Saint Matorel

Still Life with Skull (Nature morte au crâne) from Le Siège de Jérusalem: Grande tentation céleste de Saint Matorel is a significant print by Pablo Picasso, executed in 1913 and formally published the following year. This striking illustration, classified as an illustrated book component, is one of three drypoints the Spanish artist created to accompany the text by his friend, the poet Max Jacob. The collaboration highlights Picasso's commitment to the livre d'artiste format during this highly experimental period in his transition from Analytical to Synthetic Cubism.

The artwork utilizes the drypoint technique, which often produces characteristic burrs that lend a delicate, velvety texture to the lines of the resultant prints. In this composition, Picasso renders the still life subject matter with angular fragmentation, emphasizing geometry and line over mass and color. The recognizable, yet fractured, central subject—the human skull—immediately roots the image within the historical tradition of vanitas and memento mori. However, Picasso subverts the traditional context by isolating the object and subjecting it to Cubist deconstruction, making it as much an exercise in form as it is a meditation on mortality.

Produced just before the outbreak of World War I, this graphic work demonstrates Picasso’s sustained dedication to printmaking, confirming the importance of reproductive techniques in his evolving practice. The collaboration with Jacob resulted in a rare, small-edition livre d'artiste that marked a key intersection between the Spanish artist and the Parisian avant-garde literary scene. This powerful example of Still Life with Skull (Nature morte au crâne), executed in 1913 and published in 1914, is preserved in the esteemed collection of the Museum of Modern Art, serving as a critical reference point for the study of Cubist prints.