This print is from a series inspired by Gustave Flaubert’s prose-poem La Tentation de Saint Antoine. These prints are not pure illustration but rather serve as interpretations of the story. Dream-imagery was central to many of Redon’s drawings and prints at this time, and his works are often peopled with fantastic hybrid creatures and present strange combinations of subjects. Redon was an innovative printmaker, draughtsman and painter. During his lifetime, he produced close to 30 etchings and 200 lithographs. His reputation flourished, partly due to the availability of his prints. He became a celebrated figure in fin-de-siècle Paris, greatly admired by artists and writers of the Symbolist movement.