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Lot Essay
Dr. Joachim Pissarro will include this work in his forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné of Drawings by Camille Pissarro.
The present work is one of twelve book illustrations which Pissarro intended to create based on the Greek writer Longus' pastoral romance Daphnis et Chloé, written circa 4th century A.D. This project was the suggestion of the artist's son, Lucien, who had previously published a portfolio of woodcuts after his father's drawings, titled Les travaux des champs. The idea here was for Lucien to create a series of prints from his father’s twelve Daphnis et Chloé drawings. Ultimately, Pissarro only executed five of the twelve planned illustrations, however—the present lot is one of the five—and Lucien printed engravings after only three of the five. Two of the engravings were printed in 1899, and the third (of the present work) in 1920. The present work illustrates the Vintage scene where Daphnis and Chloé help the villagers pick grapes for harvesting.
The Daphnis et Chloé story would later be adapted into illustrated editions by artists such as Aristide Maillol in 1937 and Marc Chagall in 1977.
The present work is one of twelve book illustrations which Pissarro intended to create based on the Greek writer Longus' pastoral romance Daphnis et Chloé, written circa 4th century A.D. This project was the suggestion of the artist's son, Lucien, who had previously published a portfolio of woodcuts after his father's drawings, titled Les travaux des champs. The idea here was for Lucien to create a series of prints from his father’s twelve Daphnis et Chloé drawings. Ultimately, Pissarro only executed five of the twelve planned illustrations, however—the present lot is one of the five—and Lucien printed engravings after only three of the five. Two of the engravings were printed in 1899, and the third (of the present work) in 1920. The present work illustrates the Vintage scene where Daphnis and Chloé help the villagers pick grapes for harvesting.
The Daphnis et Chloé story would later be adapted into illustrated editions by artists such as Aristide Maillol in 1937 and Marc Chagall in 1977.