Louis Marcoussis (1883-1941) Le Numéraliste (self-portrait). 1940-1941 (Pl. for Les Devins, Paris, La Hune, 1946). Drypoint. 196x198mm. Milet 228. Very fine proof on vellum, annotated at the foot of the sheet in pencil "2ème état 1/5" and signed in pencil. Light foxing and slight traces of oxidation at the edges of the sheet. Full margins. Provenance: Artist's studio. "All the symbols of divination express the anguish of death, as if Marcoussis, sensing his imminent end, knew he was doomed. For example, the number 22, which he particularly dreaded, recurs several times in the self-portrait in which he depicts himself as a numerologist. Marcoussis died on October 22, 1941. (Solange Milet, Marcoussis, l'œuvre gravé, Copenhagen, Forlaget Cordelia, 1991, p. 462).