Matisse often derived inspiration from French poetry, whether from contemporaries such as Aragon and Mallarmé or medieval poets like Charles d'Orléans (1394-1465).
Charles d'Orléans, a member of the French royal family of Valois, has been called the father of French lyric poetry and reputedly the sender of the first valentine. The chief subject matter of his poetry was courtly love and separation, written in such a veiled way that the unknown woman could be one of, or a conflation of, his two wives, a mistress or the land of France itself.
In late 1942 Matisse selected the Poèmes de Charles d'Orléans for illustration and most of the work was completed during 1943 including the text of the poems in Matisse's own hand. Matisse had in mind the idea of a florilège (a literary garland) and the medieval nature of the poems is heightened by Matisse's alternating use of calligraphy framed by scrolls and decorative patterns of fleur-de-lis. The latter are probably derived from the backgrounds of fifteenth century tapestries and are a direct allusion to Charles d'Orléans as the fleur-de-lis formed part of the old royal arms of France.
The suite was published in 1950 in an edition of 1200 with 30 Hors Commerce sets. The lithographs were made by Mourlot Frères in Paris, under the direction of Matisse.
A copy of the justification page, signed by Matisse, will accompany each print.
