Color lithograph, dimensions: 56 x 36 cm; Velin d'Arches cotton paper produced in the Vosges in Arches,
printed on the presses of the master printer Jobin, lithograph made according to the lithographic process
involving printing, one drawing per color, one color per press pass, signed under composition p.d.;
dry stamps of the publisher - Armand Georges Israel; On the lithograph typographically: l.d. "BY SPADEM 1983" and p.d. title.
composition.
Limited edition published with the permission of Salvador Dali under his personal control. The Dalinian Horses series is listed
in the official catalog of Salvador Dali's graphic works published by Albert Fields.
Lady Godiva is one of a series of works by Salvador Dali under the common title Dalinian Horses.
This series includes 18 lithographs with thehorseas the main motif.The worksareas follows: Neptune (Neptune); Pégase (Pegasus); Le Cheval de Troie (TrojanHorse);Bucéphale(Bucephalus); Le Chevalier Romain (Roman Cavalier); Le Centurion (Centurion); Le Cheval de Caligula (Caligula's Horse); Le Cheval de Triomphe (Horse of Triumph); Saint Georges (SaintGeorge); La Licorne (TheUnicorn);Le ChevalierChrétien(Knight ofChristianity); Lady Godiva; Le Cheval de Course (Race Horse); Le Cheval de Labeur (Work Horse); Le Picador (Picador); DonQuichotte ou l'Élogede la Folie (Don Quixote - Praise ofMadness);Le Cheval de la Mort (Horse ofDeath); Le ChevaldePrintemps( SpringHorse).
Salvador Dali's series of works known as Dalinian Horses is a quintessential example of Dali's fascination with the symbolism of the horse. Horses were one of the motifs frequently used by Daliin hisvariousworks,as theyrepresentedfor him strength,freedom,elegance and the spiritual dimension ofman.
Dalioftenreferred to figures from Greek and Roman mythology, such as Pegasus or the horses of Heliospullingthe chariot ofthe Sun.For him,the symbolism of the horsewas universal and multidimensional.Alsoevident in Dalinian Horses; arereferences to medieval art andthe Spanishheritage fromwhich itoriginated.
Dali, as one ofthe leadingSurrealists,transformed familiar motifs intounusual, often bizarre forms. In Dalinian Horses; horses are depicted in an unrealistic way - their silhouetteselongate,blurringthe boundaries betweenreality and dream. In thisway,Daliexplored the boundaries ofimaginationand thesubconscious.
The Dalinian Horses series was executed in avariety of techniques, including lithography and printmaking, whichallowedtheartisttoexperiment withdifferent styles and effects.This allowedhim tofullyshow thedynamic anddramatic
character of the horse. In Dali's series, horsesarenotordinaryanimals -theyoftenhover above theground,alludingto
transcendence and the spiritual dimension of life. Their silhouettes aresometimes imbued with anxiety,whileremaining
majestic. In Dali' s work,the horse is a symbol ofstrength, butalso of ambivalent emotions:freedom andwildness, and
simultaneously subjugation and oppression.
