Marc Chagall

Estate of the artist
Sale: Christie's, New York, November 15, 1989, lot 109
Acquired at the above sale

Executed on ivory laid paper. The sheet has been attached to the mat along all four edges although it appears, from the wave to the paper, that the entire sheet has not in fact been laid down to the mat. There is some craquelure in the thick impasto of the yellow pigment in the upper right quadrant of the composition. There are pin holes to each of the four corners. The pigments are fresh and strong. This work is in excellent condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Exuding a remarkable dynamism and energy, Autour de la flûte enchantée thrillingly distills a scene from Mozart’s extraordinary opera from 1791, The Magic Flute. Considered to be one of Mozart’s most musically brilliant and mature compositions, The Magic Flute tells the fantastical story of a young prince, Tamino, who sets out to rescue his love Pamina from the clutches of the supposedly evil sorcerer, Sarastro, urged on by the powerful Queen of the Night. Mozart weaves a strong Masonic theme throughout the tale, with Tamino having to undertake three trials during the course of the opera—of silence, water and fire—which he successfully passes through with the aid of a magic flute. Prior to the eventual joyful union of Tamino and Pamina with which the opera ends, Sarastro is revealed to be a powerful yet benevolent high priest, whilst the Queen of the Night is unmasked as an evil schemer and duly defeated. The scene depicted within the present work appears to illustrate one of the climactic moments from the opera, when Sarastro banishes the rebellious Queen of the Night from his kingdom. The gloriously ascendant sun which can be seen in the background, overpowering the feeble light of the sinking moon, reflects the reversal of power and the subsequent restoration of the rightful order, whilst the vibrant yellow of the sky seems to drown out the hovering stars. Chagall inserts a musical motif in the lower left corner as a reflection of the power of the magic flute itself, which can be seen prominently clasped within Sarastro’s hand.

Chagall adored the music of Mozart, in particular that of The Magic Flute. He sought to draw analogies between the story of the opera and Biblical lore, once declaring that: "For me there is nothing on earth that approaches those two perfections—The Magic Flute and the Bible" (quoted in Jackie Wullschlager, Chagall, Love and Exile, London, 2008, p. 337). In 1967 the artist designed the set and costumes for a production of The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, which were critically acclaimed, as one reviewer noted: "Many members of the Metropolitan Opera House's audience were convinced that Marc Chagall had not only designed the new production of 'The Magic Flute,' but had also composed the music, written the libretto, sung the major roles and conducted. It was decidedly Chagall's evening, judging from the conversation and from the wild applause that greeted each new stage picture (often to the detriment of the music); seldom has a Met audience come to a performance so visual-minded" (Alan Rich, The World Journal Tribune, February 20, 1967).