Rêve de pion ou Linguistique - Aquatinte, épreuve sur papier vergé signée Félicien Rops

First edition of this aquatint, proof on laid paper with wide margins. Félicien Rops' characteristic manuscript signature is present below the plate in red.
Plate mark dimensions: 18.7x13.9cm. Sheet dimensions: 46x35.2cm
Tense face of a young professor bound by the tongue to the lower body of another figure with strong legs and arms. The latter is visible only from behind and seems to be breaking free from the grip of two strange tentacles emerging from the bulb from which the professor's head protrudes. These surround the main action and create an impression of movement.
Fourteen busts of highly expressive figures, all different from one another, form a circle around this central scene.
Fine proof with wide margins.