A Trial Plate for Mallarmé's "Un coup de dés" (A Throw of the Dice)

Art Historical Context

Odilon Redon, a leading in French Symbolism, created this lithograph as a trial plate for illustrations accompanying Stéphane Mallarmé's 1897 poem *Un Coup de Dés Jamais N'Aira le Hasard*A Throw of the Dice Never Abolish Chance"). to 1897–1898, it captures the fin-de-siècle fascination with chance, fate, and the cosmos, themes central to Mallarmé's innovative typography and layout that broke from traditional poetry forms. Redon's ethereal style—blending dreamlike fantasy with subtle mysticism—perfectly complemented the poem's abstract exploration of uncertainty. Printed on a modest sheet (14 3/16 × 11 7/8 in.), this lithograph exemplifies Redon's mastery of the medium, where greasy crayon drawings on stone allowed for soft, velvety tones and fluid lines. Tags evoking women and dice hint at symbolic motifs of femininity intertwined with gambling's peril, echoing the poem's nautical and existential drama. As a "trial plate," it represents an experimental proof, showcasing Redon's iterative process in visual-poetic synergy. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this gift highlights Symbolism's push against realism toward the subconscious. For visitors, it offers a glimpse into a daring artistic collaboration that influenced modernist book design and avant-garde literature.

About the Artist

Odilon Redon · 1840–1916

Odilon Redon (1840-1916) was a French Symbolist painter, printmaker, and pastellist whose visionary art bridged the 19th-century Symbolist movement and 20th-century Surrealism. Born Bertrand Redon in Bordeaux on April 20, 1840, he earned the nickname "Odilon" from his mother Odile. His father, who made his fortune in the Louisiana slave trade, conceived Odilon in New Orleans before the family retu...