By 1912 Braque and Picasso reached the outer limits of non-figuration; Cubism was in its most hermetic phase. In the fall of 1912 both artists began to experiment with papier collés. Braque produced the first work of this kind and combined collage in his drawings; however, Picasso proved to be the bolder innovator and soon began to incorporate these new techniques in his oil paintings. Papier collé was instrumental in the development of late Cubist painting. It helped to inject new realism, and encouraged the artists to flatten and simplify Cubist space.

The influence of papier collé is clearly visible in Verre, bouteille de Bass, journal. The forms are drawn in paint against an ochre ground; elsewhere color has been freed from any descriptive or modeling function. The overlapping planes resemble the edges of cut paper, drastically flattening the sense of space. Bass & Co. produced a popular alcoholic beverage and the familiar "Jou" is abbreviated from Le Journal, Picasso's favorite newspaper.