Plate XII, Le Cocu Magnifique
etching & aquatint, 1968
Unsigned
From the unsigned edition of 200 impressions printed on Rives BFK paper
There is also a signed edition of 30 impressions
The set of 12 etching & aquatints is signed by Picasso on the justification page.
A photocopy will be provided to the purchaser for documentation
Printer: Atelier Crommelynck, Paris
Condition: Mint
Plate size: 8 5/8 x 12 5/8 inches
Reference: Bloch 1255
Cramer 140
This is the most famous image of the portfolio.
It is a later reprise of the famous 1936 work Faune devloilant une femme
Note: Le Cocu Magnifique is a Belgian play written by Fernand Crommelynck.
The plot of the play is as follows:
Bruno, the village scribe, is married to a beautiful and devoted young woman named Stella. He makes a good living composing love letters for the uneducated villagers, many of which are addressed to his wife. Bruno's eloquence can lift him off into rhapsodies of brilliant exaggeration. As a character verging on the manic, his paranoia is easily excited. He convinces himself that his fear of being cuckolded can be appeased only by the certainty of knowing he is a cuckold. Therefore, he offers his wife first to his best friend and then, when that fails to appease him, to all the young men of the village. This demented decision disrupts village life: the town turns violently against him, and the women of the village threaten Stella with torture, degradation and expulsion.
