ALFRED CHOUBRAC (1853-1902) NECTAR BOURGUIGNON. 1891. 58x37 1/2 inches, 147 1/4x95 1/4 cm. F. Appel, Paris. Condition B+: repaired tears, creases and abrasions in margins; minor abrasions, replaced losses and restoration in image; creases along vertical and horizontal folds. Framed. Alfred Choubrac and his brother Léon were among the pioneers of color lithography in France. In the 1870s and early 1880s, they competed heavily with Jules Chéret for commissions. After Léon's premature death in 1885, his brother went on to become the Art Director for the large Parisian printing firm Appel, from which position he also continued to design posters. Some of his works from this period are signed; others, such as this one, are not. Choubrac's style, however, is unmistakable. Here, he creates a delectable image of a flirtatious woman offering a drink to a statue of a satyr (a visual conceit which was reused time and again by future designers, including Cappiello). DFP-II 273, Maindron 53, Reims 567.
