Salvador Dali, Pope Jules II from Les Songes Drôlatiques de Pantagruel, Original Large Lithograph, 1973

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Description

Salvador dali
pope jules ii
from "les songes drôlatiques de pantagruel" (the drolatic dreams of pantagruel)
from the rarest edition … Read more Salvador dali
pope jules ii
from "les songes drôlatiques de pantagruel" (the drolatic dreams of pantagruel)
from the rarest edition of 50 only

original lithograph on japan paper
year: 1973
76 x 56 cm ca
hand-signed
hand-numbered 8/50

catalogue raisonné:
r.michler and l. W. Löpsinger
"salvador dali, catalogue raisonné of prints ii - lithographs and wood engravings 1956-1980" pages 155 - ref. 1409

with certificate

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history of this artwork

sometime in the 1960s, spanish surrealist artist salvador dali, already considered one of the leading artists worldwide, discovered a special book published in paris in 1565 by richard breton, as the 'last work' of the writer françois rabelais, and named it after his bestseller about the giant pantagruel. This book, "les songes drôlatiques de pantagruel", i.e. The drolatic dreams of pantagruel (where 'drolatic' means funny and amusing), consists of 120 woodcuts, each page showing a completely different figure: strange, hybrid creatures, combinations of man and animal, insect, plant and object, pot-bellied or hunchbacked, with special noses, snouts, trunks or beaks; each having a title in the end of the book.
enraptured and inspired by the new discovery, he chose 25 images and devised variations on these then four-century-old prints. These images have been printed as original lithographs at atelier grapholith in paris, and published by carpentier in geneve in 1973.

this very artwork is one meant to represent pope jules ii

here the original text in french (an english translation follows):

ce personnage en habit de chasseur, portant sur le poing l'oiseau de fauconnerie enfroqué, et tenant de la main droite un couteau de chasse, avec la gibecière au côté, à laquelle pend un chapelet, est évidemment le pape jules ii, caractérisé parfaitement ici par le chapeau de cardinal qui couvre sa tête, par sa longue barbe, et par son priape maléficié. « il avoit, dit bayle en parlant de jules ii, une fille qu'il maria avec jean jourdain des ursins, et on lui fait dire, dans un dialogue avec saint pierre, qu'il avoit eu la vérole. » dictionnaire de bayle, au mot jules ii.

this character in hunter's attire, carrying the falconry bird in his fist, and holding a hunting knife in his right hand, with the game bag at his side, from which hangs a rosary, is obviously pope julius ii, perfectly characterised here by the cardinal's hat which covers his head, by his long beard, and by his cursed priapus. "he had," says bayle speaking of julius ii, "a daughter whom he married to gian giordano orsini, and he is made to say, in a dialogue with saint peter, that he had had the pox." bayle's dictionary, at the word jules ii
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sold with certificate of authenticity, copy of the catalogue raisonné, and copy of the original woodcut and which inspired dali (we have it in our collection) this piece has an attribution mark,
i am sure that it is completely authentic and take full responsibility for any authenticity
issues arising from misattribution See less