Aquatint and drypoint, 1941-42. 416x316 mm; 16 3/8x12 1/2 inches, full margins. Edition of 225. Printed by Lacourière, Paris. Published by Fabiani, Paris. From Eaux-Fortes originales pour des textes de Buffon. A very good impression.
Eaux-Fortes originales pour des textes de Buffon was Picasso's (1881-1973) take on the artistic tradition of bestiary series. He began the etchings in 1936 and promised them to his publisher Ambroise Vollard (1866-1939), who died before their completion, leaving Vollard's associate, Martin Fabiani, to see it to completion. "The master printer Lacourière had introduced Picasso, as well as Rouault and other artists, to the lift-ground or sugar aquatint process, which allowed a variety of tones and textures within a limited range. The spontaneity of the plates is attested by the freehand margins, the rapidly drawn line, and the use of fingerprints for textural variety" (The Artist & Book 231). Bloch 349; Baer 596.
