In a moment of trickery and revenge, the widow Tamar, desperate for a child, dons a veil to hide her true identity and lures her wicked father-in-law Judah into the bedroom under the guise of prostitution. Chagall (Vitebsk, 1887- Saint-Paul, 1985) utilizes subdued tones of browns and greys with the exception of Tamar's brilliant red dress. Standing in the foreground with her face entirely covered, Tamar is clearly the main subject of this work. Judah, lurking in the background, appears somewhat old and weary, hunching over slightly and clutching his staff. Chagall depicts the moment before the first encounter between the two "strangers," and relays a sense of mystery and intrigue by highlighting Tamar's voluptuous figure and completely shrouding her face in darkness.
Created in 1960, this work was featured as part of a series of 24 color lithographs made by Marc Chagall (Vitebsk, 1887- Saint-Paul, 1985) to illustrate The Bible. Published by Verve, Paris and printed by Mourlot, Paris on Arches wove paper, this work is numbered 11/50 in pencil in the lower left margin (from the numbered edition of 50) and hand-signed by Marc Chagall (Vitebsk, 1887- Saint-Paul, 1985) in pencil in the lower right margin.

1. Gauss, Ulrike, ed. Marc Chagall - The Lithographs, La Collection Sorlier. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 243.

2. Mourlot, Fernand. The Lithographs of Chagall, vol. II, 1957 - 1962. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 243 on pgs. 74-5; detailed on pg. 66.

3. Cramer, Patrick. Marc Chagall, The Illustrated Books: Catalogue Raisonné. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 42 on pgs. 144-7.