Lot 1629

Description

Salvador Dali, original hand woodblock, signed in coloured pencil and signed in a block on the plate of Dante's Divine Comedy as illustrated by Dali, titled 'Reassurance (Inferno - canto 2)', 30x23cms, signed lower right and on plate. Fine.

Ex Art Encounter, Las Vegas USA, and custom framed by Beverly Hills Galleries inc, 366 Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills, California 90210, some years ago.

Similar examples are illustrated with the extra signature for $2,500 US (Sold Out) by Art Encounter.

These original hand signed woodblocks are from the illustrations for Divine Comedy, a poem by Dante Alighieri (1265-1321). Dali created 101 watercolour drawings to illustrate the poem. These drawings were reproduced using a wood engraving technique and using this technique many blocks were carved to print the Salvador Dali Divine Comedy suite, it took Dali from 1951-1964 to complete that project.

This woodblock print hand signed by Dali in red pencil (red for Inferno, violet for purgatory and blue for paradise). The work being an Artist's Proof are inscribed EA (epreuve d'artiste), lower left. Only a very few limited numbers of works like this were sold by Art Encounter (at the then low price of $2,500US!). Dali's surrealist tour of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory blends the sinister and the sensual to a haunting effect.