Le Corbeau sur la buste (The Raven on the Bust of Pallas) (plate 3) from Le Corbeau (The Raven)

Le Corbeau sur la buste (The Raven on the Bust of Pallas) (plate 3) from Le Corbeau (The Raven) is a profound lithograph created by Édouard Manet in 1875. This piece serves as the third illustration in Manet’s limited edition of Stéphane Mallarmé’s highly regarded French translation of Edgar Allan Poe's seminal narrative poem, The Raven. As a celebrated example of 19th-century book illustration, the lithograph medium perfectly suited the somber atmosphere of Poe's text. Manet chose the demanding technique of transfer lithography, allowing him to maintain the spontaneity of his drawing while achieving rich, velvety blacks and the sharp tonal contrasts necessary to depict the scene's emotional gravity.

The specific plate depicts the chilling moment when the titular bird alights upon the marble bust of Pallas Athena, a classical symbol of wisdom and intellect, placed above the narrator's chamber door. Manet’s visual handling of the subject is both minimalistic and powerful, focusing the viewer’s attention on the stark silhouettes and the psychological tension inherent in the repeated word, "Nevermore." Though Manet is widely known for his revolutionary oil paintings of modern Parisian life, he demonstrated in this series his complete mastery of graphic arts, aligning the visual language of modern French art with the dark romanticism of European poetry. This project showcases his keen interest in both the literary figures of his time and the expressive potential of prints.

Classified as an Illustrated Book, this lithograph is part of a series that profoundly influenced subsequent generations of artists working in graphic arts. The work resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), recognizing its importance both within Manet's oeuvre and in the history of graphic book design from the 1875 period. As an historically significant example of French graphic art, high-resolution reproductions of these influential prints are often made available through museum initiatives, sometimes entering the public domain for study and appreciation.