Hagar in the Desert

Hagar in the desert  is an artwork from the Series "The Bible", by Marc Chagall in 1960.

Mixed colored lithograph on brown-toned paper, no signature.

Edition of 6500 unsigned lithographs. Printed by Mourlot and published by Tériade, Paris.

Ref. Mourlot, F., Chagall Lithograph [II] 1957-1962, A. Sauret, Monte Carlo 1963, N° 251 + 274.

35 x 26 cm.

Excellent condition

In 1931, on commission from the legendary French art dealer Ambroise Vollard, Chagall set out to accomplish a gargantuan task: illustrate the Bible. 

The resulting series, “The Bible,” spanned 25 years and two volumes, showing parables and figures from the Old and New Testaments in 105 etchings. 

Since 1912 Marc Chagall began to be interested in the biblical topic. He begins with a canvas of Golgotha, almost dedicating the entire second part of his life to the tables of the Holy Bible, revised in Hebrew key. From then on he will never abandon the theme of the sacred. He created paintings, stained glass windows, mosaics and in 1961 he was commissioned to create the Hadassah stained glass windows in Jerusalem. He will compose the 17 large canvases of the Bible preserved today at the Chagall Museum. To create it, the artist carries out a large number of preparatory works which flow into other volumes and smaller productions.