Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) (1892-1990)
Jeu d'enfer (Inferno dance), June 22, 1959, 1959
Original gouache on paper embellished with gold paint, signed in ballpoint pen, a working drawing for costume design, with registration number and blue inkstamp inscription 'Composition Originale ERTE Roman de Tirtoff,' also on the reverse, the full sheet.
sheet 14 7/8 x 10 5/8in (37 x 27cm)
Footnotes:
Provenance
Erté (Romain de Tirtoff)
Hélène Martini, Paris

Hélène de Cressac Martini (1924–2017) was a French striptease artist turned businesswoman and nightclub owner who, at one time, owned a string of cabarets, including the Folies Bergère. She was affectionately known by Parisians as the 'Queen of the Night'. In 1954, she asked Erté to design costumes for herself and her performers. Hélène and Erté became close friends, and he left her his entire collection of his favorite works on paper, including this gouache.

Working drawing with smudges, handling creases, specks of paint, on recto and verso, and inscription on verso.