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Lot Essay
On the verso of this work's original frame one finds an inscription in ink which reads 'Léonide Leblanc offrant un bonbon 'Clémenceau. A droite Fr. Coppée et le Pce Troubetskoï'. Georges Clémenceau, a prominent figure of France's Third Republic, is easily recognizable standing on the left. He looks much the same as in Edouard Manet's portrait of him painted in 1879 and now in the Musée d'Orsay.
Georges Clémenceau, the poet and writer François Coppée and Prince Troubetskoï would have probably met at Madame Arman de Caillavet's literary Salon. As men of the world, they also frequented the operas, theatres and café-concerts. According to Clémenceau's grandson, the famous dramatic actress Léonide Leblanc at the center of the composition was Clémenceau mistress, who was also the "protégée" of the duc d'Aumale. The wonderful palissandre frame was probably designed by Béraud specifically for this work.
Georges Clémenceau, the poet and writer François Coppée and Prince Troubetskoï would have probably met at Madame Arman de Caillavet's literary Salon. As men of the world, they also frequented the operas, theatres and café-concerts. According to Clémenceau's grandson, the famous dramatic actress Léonide Leblanc at the center of the composition was Clémenceau mistress, who was also the "protégée" of the duc d'Aumale. The wonderful palissandre frame was probably designed by Béraud specifically for this work.