The Soiree at the Governor's House (La Soirée chez le gouverneur), plate IV (supplementary suite) from Les Âmes mortes

The Soiree at the Governor's House (La Soirée chez le gouverneur), plate IV (supplementary suite) from Les Âmes mortes, is a significant etching created by Marc Chagall in 1923. This work is integral to a series of plates designed for an illustrated book, serving as the artist's visual interpretation of Nikolai Gogol’s seminal satirical novel, Dead Souls (Les Âmes mortes).

Executed on copperplate using the demanding technique of etching, this piece exemplifies Chagall's deep immersion into printmaking, a period that began shortly after his arrival in France. Although the primary plates were finalized around 1923, the comprehensive production, printing, and eventual publication of the entire Dead Souls suite spanned the wider period of 1923-48, reflecting the meticulous nature of high-quality French illustrated book production during the era.

Chagall utilizes the sharp contrasts inherent in the etching medium to capture the dark, grotesque, and often surreal atmosphere of Gogol's critique of Russian provincial society. The scene depicted in The Soiree at the Governor's House typically involves multiple figures gathered in a confined interior, a setting rife with social posturing and chaos. Characteristic of the artist’s unique visual style, the figures are rendered with elongated, almost spectral features and dynamic postures, translating the literary satire into a distinctive visual lexicon.

As a pivotal example of 20th-century graphic arts and an important component of the French livre d'artiste tradition, this work demonstrates Chagall’s powerful capacity to merge narrative illustration with modernism. The piece resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), acknowledging its cultural and historical significance in the history of modern prints. Prints and reproductions related to this highly influential series are often sought after for scholarly reference, with some works from the era now available through public domain initiatives, further cementing their enduring legacy.