CHAGALL, Marc, Maternité (Maternity), 1954
Marc Chagall was born July 7, 1887, in Vitebsk, Russia. From 1907 to 1910, he studied in Saint Petersburg, at the Imperial Society for the Protecti… [Read biography »]


Signed Marc Chagall (1887 - 1985), Color Lithograph, Maternité (Maternity), 1954 ![]() |
| Artist: | Chagall, Marc (1887 - 1985) |
|---|---|
| Title: | Maternité (Maternity), 1954 |
| Medium: | Color Lithograph |
| Image Size: | 28 in x 21 in (71.12 cm x 53.34 cm) |
| Sheet Size: | 26.38 in x 20.28 in (67 cm x 51.5 cm) |
| Framed Size: | 47 1/4 in x 40 1/2 in (120.02 cm x 102.87 cm) |
| Signed: | This work is hand signed by Marc Chagall (1887 - 1985) in pencil in the lower right margin |
| Edition: | Annotated 'epreuve d'artiste' and numbered in roman numerals IX/XV in pencil (aside from the edition of 300), in the lower left margin. Published by Editions Galerie Maeght, Paris. Printed by Charles Sorlier under the direction of Marc Chagall |
| Condition: | Extraordinary bright and fresh color, wonderful condition |
Price :Item# 2138 | $35,000 (Summer Sales Event 20% off price: $28,000) To speak directly with the Director, Alex Adelman, please call (510) 777-9970 / 1-800-805-7060. |
| Description: | |
The color, composition and execution of this work bring joy, peace, and nostalgia to the viewer. Bright warm colors with delicate painterly technique characterize this intimate loving scene between mother and young child. A deeply personal and soulful work, Chagall captures a cherished moment between a mother and child, as the inquisitive toddler wiggles in his mother’s arms. The mother patiently and observantly looks downward at her child. Similar to traditional nativity scenes, Chagall has made the scene take place outdoors and with animals present. Mother and child sit adjacent to an uncommonly pink house and whimsical purple and green tree. A resting donkey and dove look on at the loving pair as an unknown male figure sits near the house entrance. Chagall’s intentional color play is characteristic of his interest in expressing emotion and feeling through the color medium. Created in 1954, Maternité is an exquisite original color lithograph noted ‘epreuve d’artiste IX/XV’ in pencil (aside from the edition of 300), in the lower left margin and signed by Marc Chagall (1887 – 1985) in pencil in the lower right margin. Published by Editions Galerie Maeght, Paris. Printed on Arches wove paper by Charles Sorlier under the direction of Chagall. Catalogue Raisonné & COA: 1) Sorlier, Charles, Chagall Lithographs, vol. V, listed and illustrated as image CS 7 on pg 196. About the Framing: | |
Biography of Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall was born July 7, 1887, in Vitebsk, Russia. From 1907 to 1910, he studied in Saint Petersburg, at the Imperial Society for the Protection of the Arts and later with Léon Bakst. In 1910, he moved to Paris, where he associated with Guillaume Apollinaire and Robert Delaunay and encountered Fauvism and Cubism. He participated in the Salon des Indépendants and the Salon d'Automne in 1912. His first solo show was held in 1914 at Der Sturm gallery in Berlin.
Chagall visited Russia in 1914, and was prevented from returning to Paris by the outbreak of war. He settled in Vitebsk, where he was appointed Commissar for Art in 1918. He founded the Vitebsk Popular Art School and directed it until disagreements with the Suprematists resulted in his resignation in 1920. He moved to Moscow and executed his first stage designs for the State Jewish Chamber Theater there. After a sojourn in Berlin, Chagall returned to Paris in 1923 and met Ambroise Vollard. His first retrospective took place in 1924 at the Galerie Barbazanges-Hodebert, Paris. During the 1930s, he traveled to Palestine, the Netherlands, Spain, Poland, and Italy. In 1933, the Kunsthalle Basel held a major retrospective of his work.
During World War II, Chagall fled to the United States. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, gave him a retrospective in 1946. He settled permanently in France in 1948 and exhibited in Paris, Amsterdam, and London. During 1951, he visited Israel and executed his first sculptures. The following year, the artist traveled in Greece and Italy. During the 1960s, Chagall continued to travel widely, often in association with large-scale commissions he received. Among these were windows for the synagogue of the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, installed in 1962; a ceiling for the Paris Opéra, installed in 1964; a window for the United Nations building, New York, installed in 1964; murals for the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, installed in 1967; and windows for the cathedral in Metz, France, installed in 1968. An exhibition of the artist's work from 1967 to 1977 was held at the Musée du Louvre, Paris, in 1977-78, and a major retrospective was held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1985. Chagall died March 28, 1985, in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France.
















