Medium:  Heliogravure on Mandeure Paper

Printer: Maecenas Press, New York

Edition: 2,500

Sheet Size: 18.5" x 12.75"

Image Size: 15 5/8" x 10 1/2"

Signature: Signed in the Stone

Reference: Fields 69-5

A Mad Tea-Party represents the ultimate intersection of Lewis Carroll’s nonsensical world and Dalí’s own obsessed iconography. In this stunning plate, the traditional tea table is replaced by one of the artist's most legendary motifs: a massive, melting soft watch. By superimposing teacups and a teapot directly onto the distorted, fluid clock face, Dalí brilliantly visualizes the Mad Hatter’s curse, where time has stopped completely, and it is permanently six o'clock. The composition grows upward into an explosion of delicate foliage and fluttering butterflies, balancing the heavy, dripping orange pigments at the base with an airy, dreamlike canopy that frames the absurdity below.

This piece is a magnificent work of art because it serves as a cornerstone of Dalí's artistic philosophy, directly linking his 1931 masterpiece, The Persistence of Memory, to the literary canon of surrealism. The visual interplay between the rigid, ticking numbers of the clock and the melting, organic form of the table forces the viewer to confront the illusion of time itself. It is a work vibrating with color and conceptual depth, offering a profound commentary on the traps of structure and routine. For any lover of fine art, this print offers an enduring fascination, transforming a classic childhood tale into a mesmerizing meditation on eternity and the human psyche.