Considered by Fernand Mourlot to be included in "the most important graphic work that Marc Chagall has created thus far," this piece is one of the stunning lithographs within the illustrated work of Daphnis & Chloe.

Created in 1961, La Ruse de Dorcon is one of 42 lithographs contained in the illustrated book, Daphnis & Chloe, printed by Tériade Éditeur, Paris. Signed in the lower right by Marc Chagall, the piece is printed on Arches wove paper and numbered 49/60 in pencil in the lower left (there is also an unsigned edition without margins) .

Having dedicated 3 years to this project, Marc Chagall undertook a series of lithographs that perhaps defined his career, making these pieces "a work of notable importance which, unquestionably, can be placed at the top of the list of illustrated works of our time" (Mourlot 131) . Daphnis and Chloe, the two romantic heroes of Greek writer, Longus, are two childhood friends who undergo the trials and tribulations of growing up and, consequently, falling in love. Dorcon, a rival character in the story, also falls in love with Chloe as Daphnis pursues an unbridled competition with the opposing suitor. Dorcon's Strategy depicts Dorcon disguised as a sheep in order to lure Chloe to his will. Fortunately, she is rescued by Daphnis's dogs, seen nipping at his heels and converging in the background. Stunning colors, rich imagery, and whimsical characters truly make this one of Chagall's all-time masterpieces.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
It is fully documented and referenced in (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the final sale of the work) :

1) Gauss, Ulrike, ed. Marc Chagall: The Lithographs, La Collection Sorlier, Stuttgart, 1960. Listed and illustrated as cat. no. 317 on pg. 137.

2) Mourlot, Fernand. The Lithographs of Chagall, vol. II 1957-1962, Monté Carlo, 1960. Listed and illustrated as cat. no. 317 on pgs. 140-141 and detailed on pg. 131.

3) Sorlier, Charles. Le Livre des Livres: Marc Chagall, the Illustrated Books, Berne, 1990. Detailed on pgs. 14-16 and listed on pg. 86.

About the Framing:
Framed in museum-quality, archival materials, this work is set in a Renaissance style bronze leaf frame. The muted tones of the bronze moulding compliments the cool tones in the work, found in the colors of the sheep's coat and the surrounding pasture. La Ruse de Dorcon is completed with white, linen-wrapped mats and a matching gold inner fillet and finished behind an archival Plexiglas cover.