Painter and illustrator (1832–1883) known for his illustrated editions of books by Rabelais, Balzac, Dante, Milton, and others. Rare original artwork by Dore, gouache on dark blue paper, 6.25 x 3.75, showing Don Quixote and Sancho Panza asleep under a tree, the moon glowing in the background. Matted and framed to an overall size of 12.5 x 9.5. In fine condition. Apparently a variation on the final image which appeared in Dore's celebrated illustrated Don Quixote on page 66 of Volume II. In 1863, Dore illustrated a French edition of Cervantes’s Don Quixote, and his illustrations of the knight and his squire Sancho Panza have become so famous that they have influenced subsequent readers, artists, and stage and film directors’ ideas of the physical look of the two characters. An incredibly desirable original piece from one of the masters of literary illustration. RR Auction COA.
