The Playing Cards (Les Cartes à jouer), plate XXIV (supplementary suite) from Les Âmes mortes

The Playing Cards (Les Cartes à jouer), plate XXIV (supplementary suite) from Les Âmes mortes, created by Marc Chagall in 1923, is a sophisticated example of the artist’s contribution to illustrated literature. This plate belongs to the supplementary suite produced for the grand edition of Nikolai Gogol’s novel, Dead Souls (Les Âmes mortes). Technically complex, the image utilizes a combination of etching, drypoint, and engraving, allowing Chagall to achieve a rich matrix of textures. The etching provides clear, precise line work, while the drypoint contributes a characteristic, velvety burr, enhancing the dramatic shadows and defining the symbolic card imagery at the composition’s core.

Though renowned for his unique, often folkloric style, this piece anchors Chagall within the early 20th-century French tradition of fine art printmaking. The ambitious series was commissioned by the art dealer and publisher Ambrose Vollard, a project spanning the significant 1923-48 period, though the publication was tragically delayed until after the publisher’s death and the Second World War. As part of the supplementary suite, The Playing Cards delves into universal themes of chance, fate, and the moral ambiguities present in Gogol’s satirical narrative of Tsarist Russia. Chagall’s characteristic visual language merges floating, slightly distorted figures with a dark, psychological energy befitting the literary source material.

This powerful graphic work demonstrates the high quality of artistic output generated by major French publishing houses during the interwar years. The enduring legacy of this Illustrated Book ensures that high-quality prints stemming from this series are widely referenced today. As a crucial example of Chagall’s engagement with literary source material, this print resides in the definitive collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).