Highlighting the graceful form of the ibis bird, Chagall creates a work instilled with a sense of enchantment and wonder. As Sorlier states, "Intrigued by the need to create an exotic composition, Chagall engraved four small plates on the same theme. The bird, a sacred ibis, was inspired by a black sculpture. This was the first and probably the last time that this creature appeared in the Chagallian bestiary" (Sorlier, pg. 46). Standing tall aside an embracing couple, the ibis, with its long neck and vibrant yellow coloration, appears as a noble creature worthy of our admiration.

This piece is one of four lithographs created for the book L'Élégie des Alizés (Lament of the Trade Winds). This particular lithograph was created as a second, more vibrantly colored version of the frontispiece and is numbered from the edition of 35 artist's proofs printed on Japan nacreous imperial (aside from the book edition of 420 numbered copies and 30 artist's proofs). Published by Editions du Seuil, this piece is hand signed by Marc Chagall (Vitebsk, 1887 - Saint-Paul, 1985) in pencil in the lower right.

This work is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoice accompanying the final sale of the work).

1. Gauss, Ulrike, ed. Marc Chagall: The Lithographs, La Collection Sorlier. Stuttgart: D.A.P., 1960. Listed as catalogue raisonné no. 587A.
2. Sorlier, C. (1984) Chagall Lithographs, vol. IV 1969 - 1973, Crown Publishers: New York. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 587A on pg. 46-7.
3. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

This work is framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglas.