Galerie Lelong, Paris
Acquired from the above in the late 1970s and thence by descent

The canvas is not lined. Work is in excellent condition. Surface is richly textured and the impasto is well-preserved. Under UV light: original pigments fluoresce but no inpainting is apparent.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This fantastical image represents Marc Chagall’s exploration of the relationship between man and animal, a theme first touched upon in his art of the 1920s. From that point forward his visual vocabulary frequently incorporated motifs of hens, goats, villages and floating figures (see fig. 1). The present composition blends these elements in a whimsical manner representative of a dream. Aside from a few dabs of red and yellow, the imagery is dominated by blue—varying shades swirling harmoniously to create a picture that is both simplified in its palette and painterly approach yet deceptively complex in its delicately structured composition and layered imagery, all rendered with fluctuating tones of a single color. Such experimental use of pigment was later described by his biographer Franz Meyer as a result of the artist’s romantic understanding of the world: “The light, the vegetation, the rhythm of life all contributed to the rise of a more relaxed, airy, sensuous style in which the magic of color dominates more and more with the passing years” (Franz Meyer, Marc Chagall, London, 1964, p. 519).

The juxtaposition of disparate figures and incongruous colors are crucial elements in all of Chagall’s works, which are believed to portray everything from the artist’s dreams to his beliefs and visions of the ideal world. This work is exemplary of an artist for whom “the essential functions of a painting were symbolic, not formal… the work of art was more than anything else a means to record his sensations, his memories, his moods, his feelings about life” (Andrew Kagan, Marc Chagall, New York, 1989, p. 7).