Inscription: Signed (center left): Klee; dated and inscribed on cardboard (lower center): 1923 105 Die Stachel-Schlinge mit den Mäusen
[Galerie Neue Kunst Hans Goltz, Munich]; Lily Klee, Bern (1940–d. 1946); Paul Klee Society, later Paul Klee Foundation, Bern (from 1946); Hans and Erika Meyer- Benteli, Bern (until 1950); Rolf and Catherine E. Bürgi, Bern (1950; on consignment in December 1950 to Buchholz Gallery [Curt Valentin], New York; sold in 1950 by Buchholz to Schang); Frederick C. Schang, South Norwalk, Conn. and New York (1950–at least 1957); [Berggruen et Cie, Paris]; [Galerie Jacques Benador, Geneva, in 1959]; Iginio Sambucci, Rome (in 1960); Heinz Berggruen, Paris and Berlin (1978–87; his gift to MMA)
Dresden. Galerie Neue Kunst Fides. "Paul Klee," May 1924, no catalogue.
Kunsthalle Mannheim. "Zwei Künstlerphantasten. Paul Klee und Alfred Kubin," November 23, 1924–January 10, 1925, checklist no. 41.
Wiesbaden. Neues Museum. "März-Ausstellung," March 1925, no. 65.
Palm Beach, Fla. Society of the 4 Arts. "Paintings by Paul Klee, 1879–1940," March 9–April 1, 1951, no. 24 (as "Barbed Snare with Mice," lent by Mr. F. C. Schang).
Minneapolis Institute of Arts. "40 Works by Paul Klee from the Collection of F. C. Schang," June 5–August 31, 1955, no. 12.
Kunstmuseum Bern. "Paul Klee," August 11–November 4, 1956, no. 493 (lent by Mr. F. C. Schang, New York City).
Geneva. Galerie D. Benador. "Paul Klee. Aquarelles et dessins," July 1959, no. 5 (as "Die Stachel-schlingt mit den Mäusen. [L'aiguillon entrelace les souris. The Goad interwines [sic] the Mice"]).
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Paul Klee: The Berggruen Klee Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art," May 6–July 31, 1988, unnumbered cat. (p. 181).
Kunsthalle Tübingen. "Paul Klee: Die Sammlung Berggruen im Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York und im Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris," January 22–April 16, 1989, unnumbered cat. (p. 185).
London. Tate Gallery. "Paul Klee: The Berggruen Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and the Musée National d'Art Moderne, Paris," May 17–August 13, 1989, unnumbered cat. (p. 185).
Mexico City. Centro Cultural Arte Contemporáneo. "Paul Klee: Selección de sesenta obras. The Berggruen Klee Collection. The Metropolitan Museum of Art," October 1989–January 1990, no. 41.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Paul Klee: His Teaching Years," opened April 12, 1991, no catalogue.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "The Humor of Klee," May 14 or 15–October 4, 1992, no catalogue.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Klee in New York," July 26–December 1, 1996, no catalogue.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Paul Klee at the Bauhaus," April 18–August 17, 1997, no catalogue.
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. Sammlung Berggruen. "Klee aus New York: Hauptwerke der Sammlung Berggruen im Metropolitan Museum of Art," June 4–October 18, 1998, no. 26.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Klee: His Years at the Bauhaus (1921–1931)," November 19, 2004–April 3, 2005, no catalogue.
Rome. Fondazione Memmo. "Paul Klee: La collezione Berggruen," October 11, 2006–January 7, 2007, no. 27.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Bauhaus Textiles," January 29–July 28, 2013, no catalogue.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art [The Met Breuer]. "Humor and Fantasy: The Berggruen Paul Klee Collection," September 1, 2016–January 2, 2017, no catalogue.
Ottawa. National Gallery of Canada. "Paul Klee: The Berggruen Collection from the Metropolitan Museum of Art," November 16, 2018–March 17, 2019, no catalogue.
Paul Klee. Collection of F. C. Schang. South Norwalk, Conn., n. d., unpaginated brochure, no. 12, as "Barbed Snare with Mice".
Paul Klee: Collection of F. C. Schang, South Norwalk, Connecticut. South Norwalk, Conn., January 1, 1952, unpaginated brochure, no. 12, as "Barbed Snare with Mice".
Pierre Courthion. Klee. Paris, 1953, unpaginated, colorpl. 3, as "Barbed Snare with Mice," in the collection of F. C. Schang, New York.
Paul Klee. Collection of F. C. Schang. South Norwalk, Conn., June 1, 1953, unpaginated brochure, no. 20, as "Barbed Snare with Mice".
Paul Klee (1879–1940). Collection of F. C. Schang. New York, January 1, 1955, unpaginated brochure, no. 16, as "Barbed Snare with Mice".
Paul Klee (1879–1940). Collection of F. C. Schang. New York, April 1, 1957, unpaginated brochure, no. 18, as "Barbed Snare with Mice".
Giuseppe Marchiori. La pittura straniera nelle collezioni italiane. Turin, 1960, unpaginated, ill. (color), calls it "Noeud coulant aux souris" and locates it in the Sambucci collection, Rome.
Sabine Rewald. Paul Klee: The Berggruen Klee Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Exh. cat., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 1988, pp. 180–81, 282, 318, ill. (color and bw).
Josef Helfenstein and Christian Rümelin, ed. Paul Klee: Catalogue Raisonné. Ed. Paul Klee Foundation, Museum of Fine Arts, Berne. Vol. 4, 1923–1926. New York, 2000, p. 96, no. 3199, ill., as "Die Stachel-Schlinge mit den Maeusen (The Barbed Snare with the Mice)".
Paul Klee (German (born Switzerland), Münchenbuchsee 1879–1940 Muralto-Locarno)
1920
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