MARC CHAGALL Russian-French, 1887–1985 Deborah the Prophetess ("Bible Series"), 1956 etching 1956 etching which is Plate 52 from the artist's Bible Series. The artwork depicts the biblical judge and prophetess Deborah seated beneath a palm tree, gesturing toward a standing figure. Framed. Not examined out of frame. Plate (approx): 11.5 x 9.5 inches; sight (as matted): 12.75 x 10.75 inches; frame: 23 x 20 inches $1,000-1,500
PROVENANCE: This specific impression is from an edition of 295 (numbered 157/295) which is based on a verso gallery label from Bellette Hofmann Fine Art in New York City. Acquired at Bellette Hofmann Fine Art, New York City.
ARTIST PROFILE: Marc Chagall (1887–1985) was a Russian-French artist whose dreamlike images were composed on emotional and poetic associations rather than traditional pictorial logic. Born into a poor Hassidic family in Vitebsk (now Belarus), he drew endlessly on the imagery of his Eastern European childhood, before moving to Paris where he mixed with leading Fauvist, Cubist, and Surrealist painters and developed the recognizable trademarks of his art — strong color, floating figures, and scenes from Vitebsk placed seemingly at random, often upside-down or superimposed. Over a long career spanning nearly a century, he worked across painting, stained glass, book illustration, ceramics, tapestries, and stage design, and is widely regarded as one of the most beloved modernist artists of the 20th century.