Executed circa 1893-94, this drawing belongs to a group of charcoals and lithographs executed from 1870 until the mid-1980's, which Redon called his Noirs, Although Redon had first experimented with paint in the 1860's he preferred techniques using black and white tones, affirming: "Il faut respecter le noir. Rien ne le prostitue. Il ne plaît pas aux yeux (qui le regardent superficiellement). Il est l'agent de l'esprit bien plus que la belle couleur de la palette ou du prisme...