Das unbekannte Meisterwerk

Balzac conceived this story in the style of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s fantastical tales about artists. Balzac conveyed to his readers the new artistic views of his time and his own artistic creed. Beyond that, however, the story is also a love story; it is not only the titles of the two chapters, “Gillette” and “Catherine Lescault,” that make clear the importance Balzac attaches to these two female characters.
Picasso’s engagement with Balzac’s story dates back to a suggestion made by the art dealer Ambroise Vollard in 1926. It was Vollard who, drawing on the rich visual material provided by Picasso, created a book that is exciting in the truest sense of the word—one that undoubtedly ranks among the most beautiful of the books illustrated by Picasso. It was published in a limited edition of 340 copies in November 1931.