The Wolf and the Lamb
1927/1930
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View on museum website →Medium
etching
Classification
Portfolio
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1952.8.119
Art Historical Context
**The Wolf and the Lamb a captivating etching by Marc Chagall created between 1927 and 1930, draws from Jean de La Fontaine's classic fables. Part of a portfolio in the National Gallery of Art's Rosen Collection (Department CG-W), this print exemplifies Chagall's whimsical yet profound style. During this period, the Russian-French artist, deeply rooted in Jewish folklore and Parisian modernism, illustrated La Fontaine's moral tales, infusing them with his signature dreamlike imagery—floating figures, vibrant colors, and a touch of the surreal. Chagall's etching technique shines here, allowing...
About the Artist
Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall, born Moishe Shagal on July 7, 1887, in Liozna near Vitebsk in the Russian Empire (now Belarus), grew up as the eldest of nine children in a devout Jewish family confined to the Pale of Settlement. His father worked as a herring merchant's porter, while his mother sold groceries from home, instilling in young Chagall a deep connection to Hasidic Judaism and Eastern European folklore a...