Les Fables de la Fontaine
Marc Chagall
1952
Illustrated book
Two volumes, 38.5 x 29.5 cm.
In sheets, vellum cover.
One of the 40 copies with the hundred engravings on vellum of Rives, hand painted by the artist. All copies are signed at the justification. Copy with colored suite.
Éd. Tériade, Paris.
Catalog raisonné : Cramer 22.
After taking an interest in Gogol's Dead Souls at the suggestion of art dealer and publisher Ambroise Vollard, Chagall decided to tackle a classic of French literature, Jean de la Fontaine's Fables. The author wrote two hundred and forty-three fables, the most famous of which are Le Corbeau et le Renard (The Raven and the Fox ) and La Cigale et la Fourmi (The Cicada and the Ant). Marc Chagall drew on his personal references to Russian folklore and blended them with French culture to create the book's engraving illustrations.
