La biche aux bois

The black and white bespoke panoramic wallpaper La Biche aux bois invites us into an entirely graphic ink hand-drawn winter forest by Francesco Battista. Among the leafy trees and graphic trunks, a path tells us the story of Desirée, a young girl struck by a spell at her baptism and turned into a white hind on the road leading to her prince. On the side of the trail, the hind is there, patiently waiting for us to enter her world…

The tale La biche aux bois is a variation of Beauty and the Beast, written in 1698 by Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy, a contemporary of Charles Perrault, very popular during her lifetime. 

Struck by a spell that forbids her to show herself in the light of day until she is 15 years old, Désirée nevertheless goes to meet her prince. When the curtains of the carriage open, she turns into a hind and flees into the forest. The prince decides to live in the forest. He wounds the hind he has been hunting for several days, but remorseful, he treats her. The bond that unites the young man to the animal breaks the spell, Desiree and her prince find each other and marry.