Unsigned book featuring five original etchings by Marc Chagall: Maternité by Marcel Arland. First edition, limited issue, numbered 953/960. Paris: Au Sans Pareil, 1926. Softcover, 6.25 x 8.25, 95 pages. All five of Chagall's etchings are intact within the book, complete with their tissue guards. In fine condition, with toning to extremities of wrappers and sunning to spine. Housed in a custom-made chemise with slipcase featuring a worn leather spine.
In 1923, Marc Chagall left Moscow for Paris, where he received numerous commissions for visual narratives, including one for Maternité, a story by Marcel Arland. This story is uniquely told in reverse, starting with the death of a young girl's illegitimate baby and concluding with the first night she spends with her lover. Due to the high demand for Chagall's prints, many copies of the book were split apart, with the etchings sold separately.
