“For me, Christ has always symbolized the true type of the Jewish martyr,” Chagall is quoted as saying, and in Marc Chagall The Martyr (Le Martyr), 1970, Christ is being carried on a wooden board amongst a crowd of eager people.

Many of the crowd have detailed expressions upon their faces - some look excited while others have furrowed brows, appearing angry. Christ himself has a serene look on his face - he knows that he is fulfilling his duty and feels at peace with his martyrdom. With dark reds and browns, a heavy handed deep color palette is outlined in simple black strokes that lend an aura of sorrow but also hope. With hidden details like his own self portrait, Chagall brilliantly forces us as the viewer to look closer at the scene to discover the beauty within this entrancing composition.

Created in 1970, this color lithograph is hand signed by Marc Chagall (Vitebsk, 1887 – Saint-Paul, 1985) in pencil in the lower right margin. Printed on Vélin d’Arches wove paper, this work is numbered from the edition of 50 in pencil in the lower left margin..

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

Marc Chagall The Martyr (Le Martyr), 1970 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices accompanying the final sale of the work).

1. Gauss, Ulrike. Marc Chagall, The Lithographs, La Collection Sorlier. Stuttgart: D.A.P., 1960. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 618.

2. Sorlier, Charles. The Lithographs of Chagall Volume IV (1969-1973). Crown Publishers: New York, 1984. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 618.

3. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

About the Framing:

Framed to archival museum grade conservation standards, Marc Chagall The Martyr (Le Martyr), 1970 is presented in a complementary moulding with silk-wrapped mats and optical-grade Plexiglas.