Framed Animal Prints

This is an original 19th century Currier and Ives hand-colored lithograph entitled "The Celebrated Trotting Team Edward and Swiveller, Owned by Frank Work Esq. N.Y.: Winning their ma...

Linocut in colors on Arches paper, edited in 1959 Limited edition 21 of 50 copies signed in pencil by artist in lower right corner and numbered 21/50 in lower left image size: 64.5 x 53.5 cm Paper size: 72,9 x 59,5 cm Framed size: 98.5 x 85.5 cm very good conditions Publications / Catalogue Raisonnée : This work is fully documented and referenced in the official Catalogue: - Baer 1229, Bloch 907 Framed to museum standards in a handmade frame , the background is made ph neutral for proper preservation of the work over the years , to avoid oxidation. We offer professional packaging and tracked shipping with DHL Express courier , ( shipping time: 24 hours for European countries and 4 to 6 days for America and other non-eu countries )  Shipping costs are included Notes: Pablo Picasso Picador et Taureau...

Artist: Pablo Picasso Title: Le Picador (II) Portfolio: A Los Toros Avec Picasso Medium: Transfer lithograph Date: 1961 Frame Size: 18 1/4" x 20 3/4" Sheet ...

Antique Dog Portrait Lithograph in the Taste of Alfred De Dreux Newfoundland France, circa 1870 Lithography 25 5/8 x 19 5/8 (28 x 20 frame) inches Six lithographs of dog portraits...

To see our other hunting prints and paintings, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller" and then search. Charles "Snaffles" Johnson Payne (1884-1967) The Timber Merchant (c. 1932) Lithograph 47 x 43 cm Signed in pencil...

"Que pico de Oro" (What a Golden Beak) - Etching and Aquatint on Paper 5th or 8th edition print of "Que pico de Oro" from the Los Caprichos with burnished aquatints, drypoints etchi...

Los Angeles-based artist, Laura Owens' horse prints often incorporate her characteristic style, which challenges traditional assumptions about figuration and abstraction . Her work f...

Artist: Slonem, Hunt Title: Autumn Sunrise Bunnies Series: Bunnies Date: 2025 Medium: Lithograph on Paper Unframed Dimensions: 16" x 24" Framed Dimensions: 22" x 29" x 1.25" S...

The Bird Call is a lithograph on paper, 9.5 x 9 inches image size, and initialed 'BD' lower right. From the edition of 395, numbered 125/275 (there were also 100 Roman and 20 AP). Fr...

This is an original 19th century hand-colored folio-sized lithograph entitled "Archibuteo Lagopus" (Rough-Legged Buzzard) by John Gould and Edward Lear, from Gould's "Birds of Great Britain", published in London between 1862 and 1873. The print depicts an adult Rough-Legged Buzzard perched on a branch of a tree looking to the left. This beautiful framed Gould hand-colored lithograph is presented in a gold-colored wood frame and cream-colored French mat, embellished by a gold-colored fillet. The frame measures 33" high, 25.5" wide and 1.25" thick. It is in excellent condition There are several other unframed Gould bird lithographs available on our 1stdibs and InCollect storefronts. Two or more of these striking lithographs would make an attractive display grouping. A discount is available for purchase of a set depending on the number. These additional Gould hummingbirds may be viewed by typing Timeless Intaglio in the 1stdibs or InCollect search field to be taken to our storefront. John Gould (1804-1881]) was an English ornithologist and artist. He, like his American contemporary John James Audubon, published a number of books on birds in the mid 19th century, illustrated by hand-colored lithographs. His wife and fellow artist, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists including Edward Lear and Henry Constantine Richter produced lithographs for his various publications. He has been considered the father of bird study in Australia and the Gould League in Australia is named after him. Charles Darwin referenced Gould’s work in his book, "On the Origin of Species" and Gould named a bird after Darwin; "Darwin's finches". Gould began his career in London as a taxidermist, but in 1827 became the first curator and conservator at the museum of the Zoological Society of London. In this position naturalists brought him collections of birds from all over the world. He began creating drawings and eventually hand-colored lithographs with his wife and Edward Lear, which were the basis for his first publications. Darwin brought him specimens from the Galapagos Islands, including 12 species of finches which had never been described. In 1838, Gould and his wife travelled to Australia and their work led to the seven volume publication of “The Birds of Australia”. Gould had a fascination for hummingbirds and collected specimens of 320 varieties before ever seeing a live hummingbird on a trip to the United States in 1857. He eventually published “A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-birds". Other large publications include: "The Birds of Europe"," A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans”, “A Synopsis of the Birds of Australia, and the Adjacent Islands”, “A Monograph of the Odontophorinae, or Partridges of America”, “The Birds of Asia”, “The Birds of Great Britain” and "The Birds of New Guinea and the Adjacent Papuan Islands, including many new species recently discovered in Australia". John Gould (1804-1881) was a British ornithologist and illustrator who is best known for his monumental work, "The Birds of Europe," published between 1832 and 1837. Gould was born in Lyme Regis, Dorset, England, and began working as a taxidermist and natural history dealer in London in the 1820s. In 1827, Gould was appointed the first curator and preserver of birds at the Zoological Society of London, where he began to build his collection of specimens and began to study the birds of the world. He published his first monograph, "A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains," in 1831, which included 80 plates of Himalayan birds. Gould continued to publish numerous volumes on the birds of the world throughout his life, including "The Birds of Australia" (1840-1848) and "The Birds of Great Britain" (1862-1873). His works were highly regarded for their accuracy and detail, and he was one of the most prominent ornithologists of his time. In addition to his work as an ornithologist, Gould was also a successful businessman, and he used his profits to fund expeditions and to support the scientific community. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1843, and he was awarded the Royal Medal...

To see our other hunting prints and paintings, scroll down to "More from this Seller" and below it click on "See all from this Seller" and then search. C...

Artist: Slonem, Hunt Title: White Bunnies III Series: Bunnies Date: 2017 Medium: Lithograph on Paper Unframed Dimensions: 16" x 24" Framed Dimensions: 22" x 29" Signature: Si...

This whimsical and surreal etching by Mexican artist Maximino Javier, dated 1984, embodies his unique visual language that blends fantasy, folklore, and satire. Executed with intrica...

This is an original hand-colored folio edition John James Audubon engraving entitled "Esquimaux Curlew", Folio, Pl. CCVIII", No. 42, Plate 208, from Audubon's "Birds of America". It was engraved, printed and colored in London by Robert Havell, Jr. in 1834. It depicts a male and a female Esquimaux Curlew birds...

Artist: Salvador Dali Title: American Trotting Horses No. 2 Date: 1971 Portfolio: Currier & Ives as Interpreted by Salvador Dali Medium: Litho...

This is a rare Franklin Simon Department store Christmas lithographic poster with an image after a James Thurber cartoon drawing of a man in a chair with...

The engraving "The Pink Of Condition" by George Wright was published in London in 1909. It depicts the beginning of a British fox hunting scene. The ...

Milton Avery Fish (blue), 1952, (A/P) Catalogue raisonné : Lunn 41. Woodcut, printed in blue2.38 x 9 in (6.05 x 22.86 cm)Framed 12.50 x 18.75 in From the blue prints, approximately 1...

Like Moths to a Flame is a lithograph on paper, 9.5 x 9 inches image size, and initialed 'BD' lower right. From the edition of 395, numbered 156/275 (there were also 100 Roman and 20...

Bird #2 is a striking vintage black-and-white monotype print by celebrated Colorado modernist Edgar Britton (1901–1982), created in 1949. This original mid-century work presents a bo...

Mid Century Nocturnal Horses with Riders Under Moonlight Lithograph Limited Edition Compelling nocturnal lithograph of two women on horseback by ...

Richard Hambleton, Canadian (1952 -2017) - Horse and Rider, Year: 2001, Medium: Screenprint, signed, dated and numbered in pencil, Edition: 100, P/P, Image Size: 16 x 11 inches, ...

Linocut on Arches wove paper. Hand signed and numbered by the artist in pencil. Image size 25 x 20.75 inches. Sheet size 29.6 x 24.5 inches. Frame size approx 34.5 x 29.5 inches. Pri...

Vintage American modernist interior scene by Will Barnet. Titled "Interlude". Signed and numbered limited edition from 1982.

"Magic Circus" lithograph by Michel Delacroix. Hand-signed MIchel Delacroix. Hand-numbered XX/C. Depicts a circus, complete with elephant and horses, traveling through a French city...

Two Mid 18th century hand coloured copper plate engravings of equestrian subjects by Johann Elias Ridinger. Initial signed 'in the plate' bottom right. Presented in fine gilt wood fr...

Mid-Century coloured woodblock print of 'ploughing the fields' by 20th century Japanese artist Ini Kumo. The print is hand-signed in pencil, dated 1966 and numbered 130/700 to the bottom right and presented under glass in a black wooden frame. A beautiful woodblock printed image of a Japanese farmer in traditional attire ploughing the land with his ox. It is early evening and as the sun goes down it casts long shadows in front of the two figures. Perhaps the farmer is on his way back to the houses grouped in the distance already in shadow. The artist has carefully picked out areas of vibrant green and blue to give energy and colour to the image which contrast against the black of the ox. A thoroughly enchanting image. Ini Kumo is a recognised Sõsaku-hanga artist. His work is included in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Sōsaku-hanga (創作版画, "creative prints") was an art movement of woodblock printing which was conceived in early 20th-century Japan. It stressed the artist as the sole creator motivated by a desire for self-expression, and advocated principles of art that is "self-drawn" (自画 jiga), "self-carved" (自刻 jikoku) and "self-printed" (自摺 jizuri). As opposed to the parallel shin-hanga ("new prints") movement that maintained the traditional ukiyo-e collaborative system where the artist, carver, printer, and publisher engaged in division of labor. The birth of the sōsaku-hanga movement was signaled by Kanae Yamamoto...

Artist: George Rodrigue Title: George's Sweet Inspirations Medium: Screenprint on paper Year: 2000 Edition: Artist Proof Frame Size: 27 3/4" x 23 1/8" Sheet Size: 22 1/4" x 17 5/8" I...

Cock Tease is a lithograph on paper, initialed lower right 'BD', 9 x 9" image size. From the edition of 395, numbered XXIX/C (there were also 275 Arabic and 20 AP), framed in a conte...

Plate 13 from La Suite Vollard. Bloch 229. Baer 444. Etching on Montval paper. Signed in pencil, from the edition of 260 (there was also an edition of 50 with larger margins). Printe...

You have to hand it to the bull. Not just taking Europa with his unassailable power (he is Zeus in disguise, after all) he brings along a retinue for his seduction of the beautiful P...

Erwin Rambow, American (1925 - 2013) - Owl, Medium: Poster, Image Size: 15 x 15 inches, Size: 19.5 x 15.5 in. (49.53 x 39.37 cm), Frame Size: 21.5 x 17.75 inches

A lithograph from the Marina Picasso Estate Collection after the Pablo Picasso painting "Deux Pigeons". The original painting was completed in 1960. In the 1970's after Picasso's de...

James Seymour (1702-1752) The Portraiture of the Famous Horse 'Old Partner' The Portraiture of 'White Nose' Engraved by Richard Houston Image size 14 x 16 in Framed size 16 x 18 in ...

This is a framed original 19th century hand-colored folio-sized lithograph entitled “Strix Flammea” (Barn Owl) by John Gould, from his "Birds of Great Britain", published in London between 1862 and 1873. The print depicts an adult Barn Owl perched on a log its three baby owls to the left. Another adult owl in the background on the right, presumably a male, watches over his family. There are leaves on the right contributing to this pleasant landscape composition. This striking framed Gould...

Vibrant print of a coyote by Daniel Stolpe (American, 1939-2018). Titled, numbered ("Presentation Proof"), signed and dated along bottom edge. Presented in a black frame with a double mat. Sheet on verso with information about the piece, stating that only 5 Presentation Proofs were created, making this piece 1 of 5. Paper size: 24"H x 28"W. (2018) Master artist and Native Images lithographer Dan "Coyote" Stolpe slipped out of his non-functioning body, and is running free at last and howling in the hills. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Dan's father introduced him to Native American teachers of Art and Culture through the Woodcraft Rangers, who influenced Dan for the rest of his life. "Everything was patterned after a tribal structure," Stolpe said. We learned about Indian life and lore and we had Indian guys teach us how to make Indian costumes and about Indian dance and drums. That's what got me interested." Dan made his first drum when he was 14, and he was quietly playing that same drum during his final days of life. Stolpe attended LA Co. Art Institute (OTIS) on scholarship until 1962, when he dropped out to Apprentice with artist Don La Viere Turner in Glendora, and then with Master Printer Joe Funk in Venice until 1966. Commissioned by the Smithsonian Institute, he moved to Washington DC to illustrate extinct birds...

Zao Wou-Ki (Chinese, French, 1921-2013) Les Poissons, 1953 Lithograph Hand-signed in pencil Lower Right Hand-numbered 16/55 in pencil Lower Left 18 x 23 1/8 inches 29 x 33 inches wit...

This is a framed 18th century folio-sized colored stipple engraving with hand-finishing entitled "Le Sai a gorge blanche. Variete A. Buff. Simia capucina. v.a.", which was drawn and engraved by Jean Baptiste Audebert...

This is an original framed 19th century hand-colored folio-sized lithograph entitled "Diphogena Aurora" (Bolivian Rainbow Hummingbirds) by John Gould, from his "Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Hummingbirds", published in London in 1853. The print depicts two Bolivian Rainbow hummingbirds feeding on the nectar of small flowers on a branch. This striking framed Gould hand-colored lithograph is presented in a antiqued gold frame, a gold-colored fillet, and a light tan French mat, embellished with a mint-colored broad band. The frame measures 32" high, 25.5" wide and 1.25" thick. The hand-coloring is enhanced by the use of gum-arabic paint on the hummingbirds heads and necks, giving them an iridescent appearance. The descriptive text page from Gould's original publication is included. It is affixed to the back of the frame in a clear sleeve. The piece is in excellent condition. There are several other unframed Gould bird lithographs available on our 1stdibs and InCollect storefronts. Two or more of these striking lithographs would make an attractive display grouping. A discount is available for purchase of a set depending on the number. These additional Gould hummingbirds may be viewed by typing Timeless Intaglio in the 1stdibs or InCollect search field to be taken to our storefront. John Gould (1804-1881]) was an English ornithologist and artist. He, like his American contemporary John James Audubon, published a number of books on birds in the mid 19th century, illustrated by hand-colored lithographs. His wife and fellow artist, Elizabeth Gould, and several other artists including Edward Lear and Henry Constantine Richter produced lithographs for his various publications. He has been considered the father of bird study in Australia and the Gould League in Australia is named after him. Charles Darwin referenced Gould’s work in his book, "On the Origin of Species" and Gould named a bird after Darwin; "Darwin's finches". Gould began his career in London as a taxidermist, but in 1827 became the first curator and conservator at the museum of the Zoological Society of London. In this position naturalists brought him collections of birds from all over the world. He began creating drawings and eventually hand-colored lithographs with his wife and Edward Lear, which were the basis for his first publications. Darwin brought him specimens from the Galapagos Islands, including 12 species of finches which had never been described. In 1838, Gould and his wife travelled to Australia and their work led to the seven volume publication of “The Birds of Australia”. Gould had a fascination for hummingbirds and collected specimens of 320 varieties before ever seeing a live hummingbird on a trip to the United States in 1857. He eventually published “A Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Humming-birds". Other large publications include: "The Birds of Europe"," A Monograph of the Ramphastidae, or Family of Toucans”, “A Synopsis of the Birds of Australia, and the Adjacent Islands”, “A Monograph of the Odontophorinae, or Partridges of America”, “The Birds of Asia”, “The Birds of Great Britain” and "The Birds of New Guinea and the Adjacent Papuan Islands, including many new species recently discovered in Australia". John Gould (1804-1881) was a British ornithologist and illustrator who is best known for his monumental work, "The Birds of Europe," published between 1832 and 1837. Gould was born in Lyme Regis, Dorset, England, and began working as a taxidermist and natural history dealer in London in the 1820s. In 1827, Gould was appointed the first curator and preserver of birds at the Zoological Society of London, where he began to build his collection of specimens and began to study the birds of the world. He published his first monograph, "A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains," in 1831, which included 80 plates of Himalayan birds. Gould continued to publish numerous volumes on the birds of the world throughout his life, including "The Birds of Australia" (1840-1848) and "The Birds of Great Britain" (1862-1873). His works were highly regarded for their accuracy and detail, and he was one of the most prominent ornithologists of his time. In addition to his work as an ornithologist, Gould was also a successful businessman, and he used his profits to fund expeditions and to support the scientific community. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1843, and he was awarded the Royal Medal...

Johan Wilhelm Palmstruch (1770-1811) Sweden Title: A Bear hand-coloured print early 1800s print dimensions approx 4.33 x 7.08 inches (11 x 18 cm) frame 11.81 x 15.74 inches (30 ...

Rod Nelson (British, 20th Century) Angry cats woodblock print signed and dated ‘Rod Nelson 1992’ (lower left) 7.1/4 x 7.5/8 in. (18.3 x 19.3 cm.)

10-colour lithograph on Somerset Velvet White 300 gsm paper 23 3/5 × 29 9/10 in 60 × 76 cm - sheet size Edition 48 of 200 hand-signed and numbered by the artist in the bottom right ...

This artwork titled "Young Loons, 1990 is an original color lithograph by Canadian Inuit noted artist Pitaloosie Saila. 1942-2021. It is hand signed, titled, dated, located, described and numbered 34/50 in pencil by the artist. The subject size is 38.75 x 23.25 inches, sheet size is 44 x 30 inches, framed is 51.75 x 37.25 inches. Custom framed in a metal frame, with grey/blue backing. It is in excellent condition. About the artist: Pitaloosie was born in 1942 on the southwest coast of Baffin Island near what is now the community of Cape Dorset. She spent her childhood years in various hospitals in Quebec and Ontario for treatment of tuberculosis. She learnedEnglish during this time, and recalls the difficulty she experienced in relearning her native language upon her return to Baffin Island in 1957. She is now one of the few of her generation who speak both English and Inuktitut fluently. Pitaloosie began drawing in the early 1960’s, and quickly established herself as a versatile and intelligent graphic artist. Over the years, she has become a familiar presence in the Kinngait Studios, and her work has been included in annual print collections since 1968. Since the late 1960’s, Pitaloosie has made frequent trips to southern Canada to attend exhibitions and conferences. In 1967, she spent several weeks in Toronto while her husband, the well-known sculptor Pauta Saila, participated in an International Sculpture Symposium. Subsequently, she has visited Halifax, Toronto, Ottawa, Kansas City and Vermont. Her work has been featured in solo drawing exhibitions, and in 1977, Canada Post issued a stamp depicting her print, Fisherman’s Dream. Her 1985 lithograph entitled In the Hills represented the Northwest Territories in the centennial celebration of the National Parks of Canada. Amnesty International, the international human rights organization, selected a drawing by Pitaloosie entitled Mother and Child to use for their 1990 Christmas card. She was also one of nine featured artists in the acclaimed exhibition Isumavut: The Artistic Expression of Nine Cape Dorset Women, which opened at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in the fall of 1994 and continues to travel to other venues. Pitaloosie’s husband, Pauta, passed away in Cape Dorset in June of 2009 at the age of 93. In 2004, both she and Pauta were appointed members of the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts, in recognition of their life’s work and contributions to Canadian art. Selected Exhibitions: • 2019 60/60, Feheley Fine Arts, Toronto • 2016 Pitaloosie Saila: A Print Retrospective, Feheley Fine Arts, Toronto • Toronto • 2003 The Inuit 2004 Sanaasimasiatok/Fine Works: Sculpture from Cape Dorset, Feheley Fine Arts, Icon: Selections from Private Collections, Feheley Fine Arts, Toronto • 1996-1997 Pitaloosie & Pauta, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, ON • 1994 – 1995 Isumavut: The Artistic Expression of Nine Cape Dorset Women, Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, QC • 1993 – 1994 Contemporary Inuit Drawings, Muscarelle Museum of Art, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA • 1991 – 1992 In Cape Dorset We Do It This Way: Three Decades of Inuit Printmaking, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, ON • 1989 – 1991 Kenojuak Ashevak...

This artwork titled "Chemin de Halage" c.1930 is a color etching with aquatint on Wove paper by French artist Ferdinand Jean Luigini, 1870-1943. It is hand signed and titled in penci...

This is a framed original 19th century hand-colored folio-sized lithograph entitled “Syrnium Aluco" (Tawny or Brown Owl) by John Gould, from his "Birds of G...

John James Audubon was born in Haiti in 1785. Most of his childhood was spent in France, where he first took interest in birds and drawing. He came to the U.S. at age 18, and made ma...

A dynamic, illustrative etching depicting two cockerels mid-fight, wings spread and spurs at the ready. Inscribed '1o ETAT' to the lower margin. Presented in a slim wooden frame with...

Galloping Horse is an artwork realized by  Jean-Marie Guiny, 2000s.  Etching, Edition 145/160. 40 x 50 cm ; with frame.  Hand signed in the lower right part. Good condtions! J...

The horse "Lampo" is a modern artwork realized by Giorgio De Chirico in 1971. Mixed colored lithograph. Hand signed, titled and numbered on the lower margin. Edition of 30/48 inc...

Art Deco original pochoir print. Please find the dimensions of the artwork: 20 x 15 cm - Dimensions of the image 26 x 20 cm - Dimensions of the paper 28 x 22,5 cm - Framed dimensi...

"Homage a Leonardo d'Vinci (Leonardo drawing, 3 Figures, Horse from De La Bataille Vol. I)" is an original color lithograph signed by Claude Weisbuch. A group of figures stand to the...

This is a framed original 19th century hand-colored folio-sized lithograph entitled “Bubo Maximus" (Great Horned or Eagle Owl) by John Gould, from the supplement to his "Birds of Great Britain", published in London between 1862 and 1873. The print depicts an adult Eagle Owl about to feed her brood of babies who are in the their nest. A another adult (possibly the male) is seen in the distant background in the upper right. This striking framed Gould...

This is an original framed 19th century hand-colored folio-sized lithograph entitled "Ramphomicron vulcani" (Southern Thorn-Bill Hummingbirds) by John Gould, Pl. 186 from his "Monograph of the Trochilidae, or Family of Hummingbirds", published in London in 1853. The print depicts two Southern Thorn-Bill hummingbirds sitting on branches of a flowering plant. This striking framed Gould hand-colored lithograph is presented in a antiqued gold frame, a gold-colored fillet, and a light tan French mat, embellished with a mint-colored broad band. The frame measures 32" high, 25.5" wide and 1.25" thick. The hand-coloring is enhanced by the use of gum-arabic paint...

Le Lion Qui Marche Antoine-Louis Barye (French, 1796-1875) Circa 1880 Etching on laid paper after the original bronze by master etcher Abel Lurat (F...

Victor Delfin, Peruvian (1927 - ) - Baby Condor, Year: 1979, Medium: Screenprint, signed and numbered in pencil, Edition: 200, AP 30, Image Size: 31.5 x 24 inches, Size: 35 in. ...

Warner Brothers Orchestra Bugs Bunny Daffy Duck Porky Pig Cartoon Movie Legends Al Hirschfeld (1903-2003) Warner Brothers Orchestra Etching and Aquatint Sight 15 1/4 x 23 1/2 inches...

Three geese flying in formation. Guy Allen’s acid etchings, inspired by the fauna of the English countryside, have a remarkable level of detail. His etchings capture the characte...

Canaries on a Tree, 2003 Screenprint Edition size: 300 Image and paper size: 28.5 x 24cm hand-signed and numbered by the artist on verso published by Advanced Graphics accompanied by signed and numbered book (206/300) that matches the print's edition number. Craigie Aitchison...

Karel Appel, Dutch (1921 - 2006) - Cats Portfolio Cover (Walking Cat), Portfolio: Cats, Year: 1978, Medium: Lithograph on Paper, mounted to board, Size: 22 x 29.25 in. (55.88 x 7...

Marc Chagall "Le Christ a l'Horloge, Paris" (Christ in the Clock) 1957 (M. 196) Color Lithograph on Arches Wove Paper Signed in Pencil "Marc Chagall" Lower Right Initialed "H.C." (Hors Commerce) Lower Left, aside from numbered edition of 90 *Floated in Gold Frame with Linen Matting, UV Plexiglass Sheet Size: 18 3/4 x 14 3/4 inches (47.5 cm x 38 cm) Image Size: 9 3/4 x 8 1/2 inches Framed Size: 28.5 x 24.25 inches Marc Chagall was a man of keen intelligence, a shrewd observer of the contemporary scene, with a great sympathy for human suffering. He was born on July 7, 1887 in Vitebsk, Russia; his original name was Moishe Shagal (Segal), but when he became a foremost member of the Ecole de Paris, he adopted French citizenship and the French spelling of his name. Vitebsk was a good-sized Russian town of over 60,000, not a shtetl. His father supported a wife and eight children as a worker in a herring-pickling plant. Sheltered by the Jewish commandment against graven images, the young Chagall never saw so much as a drawing until, one day, he watched a schoolmate copying a magazine illustration. He was ridiculed for his astonishment, but he began copying and improvising from magazines. Both Chagall's parents reluctantly agreed to let him study with Yehuda Pen, a Jewish artist in Vitebsk. Later, in 1906, they allowed their son to study in St. Petersburg, where he was exposed to Russian Iconography and folk art. At that time, Jews could leave the Pale only for business and employment and were required to carry a permit. Chagall, who was in St. Petersburg without a permit, was imprisoned briefly. His first wife, Bella Rosenfeld, was a product of a rich cultivated and intellectual group of Jews in Vitebsk. Chagall was made commissar for the arts for the area, charged with directing its cultural life and establishing an art school. Russian folklore, peasant life and landscapes persisted in his work all his life. In 1910 a rich patron, a lawyer named Vinaver, staked him to a crucial trip to Paris, where young artists were revolutionizing art. He also sent him a handsome allowance of 125 francs (in those days about $24) each month. Chagall rejected cubism, fauvism and futurism, but remained in Paris. He found a studio near Montparnasse in a famous twelve-sided wooden structure divided into wedge-shaped rooms. Chaim Soutine, a fellow Russian Jew, and Modigliani lived on the same floor. To Chagall's astonishment, he found himself heralded as one of the fathers of surrealism. In 1923, a delegation of Max Ernst, Paul Eluard and Gala (later Salvador Dali's wife) actually knelt before Chagall, begging him to join their ranks. He refused. To understand Chagall's work, it is necessary to know that he was born a Hasidic Jew, heir to mysticism and a world of the spirit, steeped in Jewish lore and reared in the Yiddish language. The Hasidim had a special feeling for animals, which they tried not to overburden. In the mysterious world of Kabbala and fantastic ancient legends of Chagall's youth, the imaginary was as important as the real. His extraordinary use of color also grew out of his dream world; he did not use color realistically, but for emotional effect and to serve the needs of his design. Most of his favorite themes, though superficially light and trivial, mask dark and somber thoughts. The circus he views as a mirror of life; the crucifixion as a tragic theme, used as a parallel to the historic Jewish condition, but he is perhaps best known for the rapturous lovers he painted all his life. His love of music is a theme that runs through his paintings. After a brief period in Berlin, Chagall, Bella and their young daughter, Ida, moved to Paris and in 1937 they assumed French citizenship. When France fell, Chagall accepted an invitation from the Museum of Modern Art to immigrate to the United States. He was arrested and imprisoned in Marseilles for a short time, but was still able to immigrate with his family. The Nazi onslaught caught Chagall in Vichy, France, preoccupied with his work. He was loath to leave; his friend Varian Fry rescued him from a police roundup of Jews in Marseille, and packed him, his family and 3500 lbs. of his art works on board a transatlantic ship. The day before he arrived in New York City, June 23, 1941, the Nazis attacked Russia. The United States provided a wartime haven and a climate of liberty for Chagall. In America he spent the war years designing large backdrops for the Ballet. Bella died suddenly in the United States of a viral infection in September 1944 while summering in upstate New York. He rushed her to a hospital in the Adirondacks, where, hampered by his fragmentary English, they were turned away with the excuse that the hour was too late. The next day she died. He waited for three years after the war before returning to France. With him went a slender married English girl, Virginia Haggard MacNeil; Chagall fell in love with her and they had a son, David. After seven years she ran off with an indigent photographer. It was an immense blow to Chagall's ego, but soon after, he met Valentine Brodsky, a Russian divorcee designing millinery in London (he called her Fava). She cared for him during the days of his immense fame and glory. They returned to France, to a home and studio in rustic Vence. Chagall loved the country and every day walked through the orchards, terraces, etc. before he went to work. Chagall died on March 28, 1985 in the south of France. His heirs negotiated an arrangement with the French state allowing them to pay most of their inheritance taxes in works of art. The heirs owed about $30 million to the French government; roughly $23 million of that amount was deemed payable in artworks. Chagall's daughter, Ida and his widow approved the arrangement. Written and submitted by Jean Ershler Schatz, artist and researcher from Laguna Woods, California. Sources: Hannah Grad Goodman in Homage to Chagall in Hadassah Magazine, June 1985 Jack Kroll in Newsweek, April 8, 1985 Andrea Jolles in National Jewish Monthly Magazine, May 1985 Michael Gibson...