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Lot Essay
Noé Willer has confirmed the authenticity of this work.
Jean-Gabriel Domergue’s portraits of chic and lavishly adorned women epitomise the joie de vivre which permeated Paris after the First World War. A cousin of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and party with him to the discovery of the Moulin Rouge, Domergue’s sought-after portraits of the high society women of Paris reflect a world of sumptuousness and celebrity. The starstudded array of aristocratic clients who pursued his work included Nadine Rothschild, Princess Ruspoli and the Duchess of Ramont as well as the muses and artistic elite of the period.
With a painterly brush, Domergue defined new possibilities for female representation, depicting glamorous, modern, post-war femininity. He was deeply embedded in the fashion world where he designed dresses, millinery and accessories for couturiers Henry Margue and Paul Poiret and has been regarded as a significant leader in the creation of the image of the period.
Works in this section comprise a representative selection of the artist’s key subjects, displaying his favoured social occasions, such as the casino (see lot 139) and the races (see lot 141) where the requisite costuming of the period is elegantly flaunted. A group of eight gem-like portraits, formerly from the collection of Andrée L. Vuitton (see lots 142-149), exemplify his interest in fashion with each model displaying a different `look’ of the period, each with a slightly different character.
Jean-Gabriel Domergue’s portraits of chic and lavishly adorned women epitomise the joie de vivre which permeated Paris after the First World War. A cousin of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and party with him to the discovery of the Moulin Rouge, Domergue’s sought-after portraits of the high society women of Paris reflect a world of sumptuousness and celebrity. The starstudded array of aristocratic clients who pursued his work included Nadine Rothschild, Princess Ruspoli and the Duchess of Ramont as well as the muses and artistic elite of the period.
With a painterly brush, Domergue defined new possibilities for female representation, depicting glamorous, modern, post-war femininity. He was deeply embedded in the fashion world where he designed dresses, millinery and accessories for couturiers Henry Margue and Paul Poiret and has been regarded as a significant leader in the creation of the image of the period.
Works in this section comprise a representative selection of the artist’s key subjects, displaying his favoured social occasions, such as the casino (see lot 139) and the races (see lot 141) where the requisite costuming of the period is elegantly flaunted. A group of eight gem-like portraits, formerly from the collection of Andrée L. Vuitton (see lots 142-149), exemplify his interest in fashion with each model displaying a different `look’ of the period, each with a slightly different character.