The working relationship between Chagall and Charles Sorlier may have been one of the closest in all of 20th century art. Sorlier was a master printmaker who worked in Mourlot's workshop for over forty years. Chagall's devotion to lithography came relatively late in life, and he was already 63 when he began to work with Sorlier in 1950. Together they would create an accomplished and desirable body of prints that boast an unprecedented lyricism and peerless complexity of colour.

To make an original lithograph, Chagall would first draw the design in black onto a lithographic stone, sheet of zinc or piece of transfer paper. After printing several proofs, he would develop the images further with watercolour or pastel. At this point he and Sorlier would conduct colour tests, refining each print until it met Chagall's high standards. Once the image attained its desired harmony, Sorlier would colour the lithographic plates to the artist's specifications. Such was Chagall's trust in Sorlier that he allowed him to adjust each work as necessary in order to achieve the best effect.

In a sign of the profound closeness of their relationship, Chagall gave Sorlier permission to create interpretive lithographs from his paintings and watercolours, as in this piece. These pieces are among the most desirable works in all of Chagall's graphic oeuvre. Sorlier would create an initial trial proof based on the initial work, which Chagall would then touch up with watercolour and pastel. Speaking about the process, Sorlier said that "...the result so obtained is in fact a new creation, and not a reproduction, having but a very distant relationship with the initial maquette. Indeed, Chagall reworks these compositions so extensively that they can almost be considered as original engravings." Determined that his friend and collaborator should receive his proper credit, these collaborative prints often bear Sorlier's engraved signature alongside that of the artist. Maternité was the seventh print that Sorlier and Chagall produced in this way.

Maternity had long been a theme close to Chagall, but after becoming a father again in 1946, it became increasingly close to his heart. He was concerned with exploring themes that enjoyed a universal human understanding. Consistently devoted to following his inner visions, this sublime image is a tender distillation of Chagall's soul and sensibilities as an artist.

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