Description:Published by Kleinman and printed in January 7, 1894, Toulouse-Lautrec’s signature stamp appears in red in the lower right, just below ‘38’ written in pencil. His stamp is also engraved in the plate, found on the detail of Caron’s dress in the bottom center of the piece. Of the 100 in the edition, 14 are in public collections worldwide including Berlin at the Kupferstichkabinett and Washington, D.C. at the National Gallery of Art leaving only 86 left in private collections.
Printed in 1894 as part of a series of portraits for the newspaper, L’Escarmouche, Toulouse-Lautrec sought to focus primarily on actors’ facial expressions and how emotion is translated through features on one’s face. In fact, he had such a fascination with the face that he often sketched the rest of the characters’ bodies in a minimalist style, as seen in this particular portrait of Madame Caron. She looks intently off to our left, with expressive brows and a confident air about her, emanating a sense of intrigue which is only heightened by her controlled and stable pose. Her hands are delicately folded in front of her very simple gown, barely outlined and set apart from the background due to its light color detail. The remaining figures which accompany her on either side, create a nice balance to her dominant placement in the piece.
This portrait of opera star, Lucile Meuniez, whose stage name was Rose Caron, depicts her as the character Gretchen in Faust, an opera by Charles Gounod. Exhibiting Henri Toulouse-Lautrec’s fascination with the Parisian theatre during this time in the late 19th century, he executes this piece in his signature style, using a light olive-green tone to add to the abundance of the scene.
Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
It is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the final sale of the work) :
1) Adhémar, Jean. Toulouse-Lautrec: His Complete Lithographs and Drypoints, New York, 1951. Listed and illustrated as cat. no. 52 with details on pg. xviii in the preface.
2) Adriani, Gotz. Toulouse Lautrec: The Complete Graphic Works A Catalogue Raisonne, London, 1988. Listed as cat. no. 54 on pg. 88 and illustrated on pg. 91.
3) Delteil Loys. H. de Toulouse-Lautrec, première partie, Paris, 1920. Listed and illustrated as cat. no. 49.
4) Lugt, Frits. Les Marques de Collections de Dessins & d’Estampes, Amsterdam, 1921. Signature stamp listed and illustrated as cat. no. 1338 on pg. 240.
5) National Museum, Stockholm. Toulouse-Lautrec, Ntionalmusei utställningskatalog nr. 317. Listed as catalogue raisonné no. 132 on pg. 56.
6) Wittrock, Wolfgang. Toulouse-Lautrec The Complete Prints, Vol I, New York, 1985. Listed and illustrated on pgs. 136-7 as cat. no. 39.
About the Framing:
Conservation framed with museum-quality, archival materials, this work is set in a beautifully ornate gold moulding that gracefully complements this marvelous work. It is intricately carved moulding evokes floral features around the entirety of the frame with its golden sheen accenting Toulouse-Lautrec’s artistry. Completed with white, linen-wrapped mats and a delicate matching inner fillet, this work is set behind an archival Plexiglas cover.
