Original drypoint etching with stencil from the series “La Fontaine’s Bestiary Dalinized”

Title: “The Deer Seeing Himself in the Water”

Hand-signed by Salvador Dalí and numbered: LXXXVI/CXX (86/120)

Luxury edition of 120 pieces, printed on Vélin Richard de Bas paper in 1974

Size: 73 x 93 cm

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Artwork Essay

The scene captures the moment the proud stag admires himself in a still forest lake. He marvels at the grandeur of his antlers—depicted here as luminous, surreal branches growing like golden trees from his head—while expressing disdain for his thin, fragile-looking legs.When hunters appear, the stag flees. His long, nimble legs—previously scorned—carry him swiftly through the forest, saving him from certain death. However, his prized antlers, the very source of his vanity, become entangled in the branches of the trees. Trapped, he is overtaken and killed by the hunters.

Moral: we often scorn what is most useful, and cling to what can destroy us. Dalí’s composition masterfully blends elegance and foreboding, turning a fable into a surreal meditation on pride, perspective, and the dangers of misplaced values.