Marc Chagall (1887–1985)
De klokken van Chagall (The Clocks of Chagall)
Text by Bernard Majorick
Hilversum: Steendrukkerij De Jong & Co., 1956
Small square booklet (approx. 24.4 × 24.4 cm), comprising 14 pages, thread-bound in the original blue printed wrappers.
The publication includes one original lithograph by Chagall (Mourlot 112; Cramer 31), created specifically for this edition.
This scarce publication forms part of the early graphic interpretations of Chagall’s recurring “clock” motif, a theme that appears throughout his work from the 1910s onward, often associated with memory, time, and dreamlike narrative structures.
Produced in the Netherlands, the booklet is notable for its multi-lingual text (Dutch, French, English, and German) and its refined typographic presentation, characteristic of De Jong & Co., a printer known for high-quality artistic editions.
Edition:
Unnumbered edition.
Particular copy:
This example is inscribed on the front cover in felt-tip pen with a courtesy signature by Marc Chagall, dated 1976.
The inscription reads:
“Marc Chagall” (signed and dated 1976), on the front wrapper.
While not a formal dedication, such late “courtesy” signatures—especially applied directly to the cover—remain collectible, though generally considered less rare than fully dedicated, dated inscriptions on title pages.
Condition:
Covers somewhat faded and lightly stained at the rear; slight browning and several creases, as commonly encountered with this fragile publication.
Bibliography:
Cramer, Catalogue raisonné des livres illustrés, no. 31
Mourlot, Chagall Lithographe, no. 112
Remarks:
Despite its modest format, this work is bibliographically important, containing an original lithograph and representing an early, less commonly encountered Chagall publication.
However, in the hierarchy of signed material:
a simple courtesy signature on the cover (1976) carries less weight than
a fully written, personalized inscription inside the book
—though it still adds clear value compared to unsigned examples.
