Edition Size:8 plus 4 EA   DESCRIPTION The snail occupies an important place in the Dalinian universe, as it is intimately connected with Sigmund Freud, whom Dalí came to regard as his spiritual father. Dalí was surrounded by psychoanalytical influences and theories of the subconscious were incorporated into his art. Dalí was obsessed with snails, they were a fetish of his and a source of inspiration for his artistic oeuvre. Apart from being one of his favorite foods, he was fascinated by the natural geometry of their shells and the idea of duality: hard exterior and soft interior, just like the egg and the lobster.Dalí adds a surrealist touch to the sculpture; paradoxically, the snail, universal symbol of the idle passing of time, has been granted wings, and is seen here riding rapidly on waves. An angel lands softly on its back, bestowing the gift of swift movement. This messenger acts as an intermediary between real and imaginary worlds and holds triumphantly a crutch, another important Dalinian symbol.

Edition Size: 8 plus 4 EA   DESCRIPTION The image of an elephant carrying an obelisk is portrayed in one of Dalí’s best-known paintings The Temptation of St Anthony (1946). Dalí’s elephants have exaggeratedly long legs which raise them up towards the sky. These thin, multi-jointed legs juxtapose with the heavy body of the elephant. The obelisk alludes to a tiring burden, yet the artist distorts reality making it weightless, an illusion of it almost floating above the saddle. The combination of these contradictory elements create a sense of disarray and metaphysical imbalance that can only exist in a dream-like world.The legs of the elephant originally had claw-like feet during the sculpture’s creation. Doubtful of this element, Beniamino Levi President of the Dalí Universe, approached Dalí to modify it. After initial resistance and with Gala’s support, the feet changed to horses hooves.