Salvador Dali (1904-1989) - Le Tricorne (El sombrero de tres picos)

SALVADOR DALÍ (1904–1989) LE TRICORNE — THE THREE-CORNED HAT Collection of original color woodcuts — 1959 Artist: Salvador Dalí (Figueres, 1904–1989). Work: Le Tricorne, original illustrations for the famous novel El sombrero de tres picos, by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón. Edition year: 1959. Publishers: Éditions du Rocher, Monaco, and Nouveau Cercle Parisien du Livre, Paris. Technique: Original color woodcut, carved and printed by the Bracons-Duplessis workshops. Support: Artisanal engraving paper. The original edition was produced on Auvergne paper by Richard de Bas, with a special watermark of the tricorne. Dimensions: 32 × 25.5 cm per plate. Original edition: Limited edition of 260 numbered copies. Edition composition: 20 original color woodcuts, including the frontispiece. Bibliographic references: * Michler & Löpsinger, Salvador Dalí. Catalogue Raisonné of Prints, volume II, numbers 1018–1037. * Albert Field, The Official Catalog of the Graphic Works of Salvador Dalí, reference 59-1, pages 20–21. * Christie’s, Important Old Books, Artists’ Books and Manuscripts, auction 5415, lot 285. * Swann Galleries, auction 2392, lot 585. Description Magnificent collection of Salvador Dalí’s original graphic work, belonging to his renowned Le Tricorne series, produced in 1959 to illustrate the masterwork of Spanish costumbrista literature El sombrero de tres picos, written by Pedro Antonio de Alarcón. This extraordinary bibliophilic edition constitutes one of the most captivating graphic projects of the Catalan master during the 1950s, combining Dalí’s surreal universe with literary tradition, folklore, and the popular characters of 19th-century Spain. Through his illustrations, Dalí transforms episodes of the famous novel into imaginatively rich compositions, populated by figures with stylized anatomy, grotesque characters, butterflies, symbolic elements, and surprising metamorphoses. The exceptional chromatic richness, the delicate work of the woodblock matrices, and the combination of blues, ochres, yellows, and reddish tones give these prints an unmistakable artistic personality. The recurring presence of butterflies, one of the series’ most characteristic elements, introduces symbolism of beauty, transformation, and metamorphosis, fundamental concepts in Salvador Dalí’s surrealist language. The illustrations were conceived specifically to accompany the French edition of the novel, translated by Michel Déon and published in 1959 by Éditions du Rocher, Monaco, and Nouveau Cercle Parisien du Livre, Paris. The work was created using the traditional technique of color woodcut, employing wooden blocks prepared by Bracons-Duplessis, who transferred to paper the extraordinary visual richness of the compositions conceived by Dalí. The original edition, limited to 260 numbered copies, stands as a notable realization of European art bibliophily in the mid-20th century. Fully documented graphic work in the main catalogues raisonnés of Salvador Dalí, with specific references in the publications of Michler & Löpsinger and Albert Field, as well as in major international auction houses. The plates present wide margins and the characteristic allure of original prints on artisanal paper. A distinguished collection of original Dalí woodcuts, of extraordinary interest to collectors of surrealism, 20th-century graphic art, illustrated Spanish literature, and great bibliophilic editions. Provenance: collection linked to Enrique Sabater

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