Cat. No. 407/IV
Dagger Child
- State/Variant:
- State IV of IV
- Date:
- 2001
- Alternate Title:
- The Dagger Child et Sa Mère
- Themes
- Motherhood & Family, Objects
- Techniques
- Drypoint, Engraving
- Support:
- Smooth, wove paper
- Dimensions:
- plate: 11 3/4 x 9 7/8" (29.9 x 25.1 cm); sheet: 15 7/8 x 14" (40.3 x 35.5 cm)
- Signature:
- "LB" lower right margin, red ink. Verso: "Louise Bourgeois / June 2001" lower right sheet, red ink and pencil.
- Publisher
- unpublished
- Printer
- Harlan & Weaver
- Edition:
- 1 known impression of state IV
- Edition Information:
- The "AP" inscription, in the artist's hand, on the verso does not indicate a conventional A.P. impression, as "Dagger Child" was not issued as a published edition at any state.
- Impression:
- Not numbered
- Background:
- The two source drawings for "Dagger Child" are tracings of a knife that Bourgeois had in her home, according to her assistant Jerry Gorovoy. She also used tracings of common household objects in 2006 to develop the print series, “Lullaby.”
- Description:
- Drypoint and engraving, with red ink additions
- Inscription:
- Verso: "AP= artist Proof" lower center sheet, pencil, artist's hand.
- State Changes and Additions:
- Changes from state III, by burnishing: straight edge of large knife blade removed.
Changes from state III, in engraving: straight edge of large knife blade redrawn; curvilinear edge of blade and handle of large knife refined. - Artist’s Remarks:
- "The Dagger Child is the child who is in the position to hurt you. He has the power to hurt the mother. The knife is like a little toy." (Quote cited in Meyer-Thoss, Christiane. "Louise Bourgeois: Designing for Free Fall." Zurich: Ammann Verlag, 1992, p. 180)
Inscribed on the verso of the source drawing: "The dagger child et sa mere." - MoMA Credit Line:
- Gift of the artist
- MoMA Accession Number:
- 1464.2008
State IV of IV
2001
Dagger Child
2001
Source
2001
Untitled
2001
Untitled
2001
Medium: Ink on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 11 x 8 1/2" (27.9 x 21.6 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Source
2001
The Dagger Child et Sa Mère
2001
The Dagger Child et Sa Mère
2001
Medium: Ink and white correctional fluid on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 11 x 8 1/2" (27.9 x 21.6 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
State I of IV
2001
<i>Dagger Child</i>
2001
State II of IV, variant
2001
<i>Dagger Child</i>
2001
State II of IV, variant
2001
<i>Dagger Child</i>
2001
State III of IV
2001
<i>Dagger Child</i>
2001
State IV of IV
2001
<i>Dagger Child</i>
2001
Related Works in the Catalogue
Untitled, no. 8 of 24, from the series, Lullaby
Only state
2006
Untitled, no. 8 of 24, from the series,<i> Lullaby</i>
2006
Untitled, plate 1 of 14, from the portfolio, Autobiographical Series
State III of III
1994
Untitled, plate 1 of 14, from the portfolio,<i> Autobiographical Series</i>
1994
Related Works in Other Mediums
Le Suicide Threat
1987
Le Suicide Threat
1987
Medium: Watercolor and ink on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 12 x 6" (30.5 x 15.2 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
The Punishment of the Dagger Child
c. 1998
The Punishment of the Dagger Child
c. 1998
Medium: Ink and gouache on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 11 1/2 x 9" (29.2 x 22.9 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
The Dagger Child Hurt the Parent
1998
The Dagger Child Hurt the Parent
1998
Medium: Ink, pencil, and charcoal on paper
Dimensions: sheet: 11 1/2 x 9" (29.2 x 22.9 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY
Dagger Child
1947-1949
Dagger Child
1947-1949
Medium: Painted bronze, and stainless steel
Dimensions: overall: 75 5/8 x 12 x 12" (192.1 x 30.5 x 30.5 cm)
© The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY