Pablo Picasso executed the jug, human skull, and open book on a table that fill the somber and restrained scene in The Black Pitcher and Death's Head in a series of curvilinear rhythms and contrasts of lights and darks. Working in the Paris studio of Fernand Mourlot (French, 1895–1988), Picasso used a lithographic crayon and ink, which he then scraped back with a tool in a number of areas to achieve the composition’s highlights and sharp definition.

Label from Picasso: The Artist and His Models, November 5, 2016–February 19, 2017