Published by

Editions de Francony, Paris.

Printed by

Atelier Rigal, Paris.

Edition

Artist's Proof (E.A.), aside from the numbered edition of 250.

Dimensions

78.1 × 57.1 cm (30¾ × 22½ in.)

Condition

In excellent condition.

Catalogue Note

Executed in 1974, The Bestiary of La Fontaine Dalinisée – The Deer forms part of Salvador Dalí's celebrated suite illustrating the fables of the seventeenth-century French poet Jean de La Fontaine. Long regarded as one of the masterpieces of French literature, La Fontaine's Fables combine wit, morality and allegory through stories in which animals embody human virtues and failings. Dalí's imaginative interpretations breathe new life into these timeless tales, transforming familiar literary characters into surreal and poetic visions.

Rather than producing conventional illustrations, Dalí approached each subject through the language of Surrealism. In the present work, the elegant stag is transformed into an ethereal, dreamlike creature. Its elongated anatomy, delicately modelled form and magnificent branching antlers create an image that is at once graceful and mysterious. Set within a sparse landscape animated by subtle washes of colour, the composition evokes an atmosphere of stillness and quiet contemplation, allowing the symbolic presence of the animal to dominate the scene.

Throughout his career Dalí was fascinated by the symbolic language of animals. The stag has long represented nobility, spiritual renewal and the majesty of nature, qualities that Dalí enhances through his characteristic combination of refined draftsmanship and imaginative distortion. The surrounding landscape, rendered with translucent colour and fluid line, dissolves the boundary between reality and fantasy, inviting the viewer into a world governed by imagination rather than observation.

The suite demonstrates Dalí's remarkable mastery of drypoint engraving, a technique capable of producing exceptionally rich, velvety lines and delicate tonal variations. Combined with carefully applied colour, the process successfully captures the spontaneity and painterly quality of Dalí's original designs while showcasing the extraordinary craftsmanship of the Parisian printmakers responsible for their production.

Issued in a limited edition, La Fontaine Dalinisée remains one of Dalí's finest late graphic achievements, admired for its technical brilliance, literary significance and imaginative reinterpretation of one of France's greatest literary classics. The Deer is among the most elegant compositions from the series, exemplifying Dalí's unique ability to unite classical subject matter with the visionary imagination of Surrealism.