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

Title: “The Elephant and Jupiter’s Ape”

Hand-signed by Salvador Dalí and numbered: LXXXIX/CXX (89/120)

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

Size: 93 x 73 cm

Buy with confidence - we guarantee the authenticity of this artwork and it comes with the Certificate of Authenticity.

Artwork Essay

Salvador Dalí reimagines a fable of hubris and divine indifference: the tale of the elephant and the rhinoceros, who plan a grand battle to decide which shall reign supreme among animals. But just before the duel, an unexpected figure appears — Jupiter’s ape, flying down from Olympus with a caduceus in hand. The elephant, convinced that the gods are watching his battle with interest, is sure the ape has come as an official emissary of Jupiter, bearing celestial blessings. But as the ape lands, he ignores the elephant’s pomp, and reveals that he has come not for kings or combat, but for a much humbler matter: to resolve a dispute between two ants over a blade of grass.

Moral: the little and the great are equal in the eyes of the gods. Dalí turns this tale into a cautionary vision of vanity, cosmic insignificance, and the ridiculous pageantry of self-importance.