?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 10,000 - $ 15,000
CLEMENTINE-HELENE DUFAU (1869-1937) PELOTE BASQUE. Circa 1903. 58 1/2x42 1/2 inches, 148 1/2x108 cm. G. de Malherbe, Paris. Condition B / B+: repaired tears and restoration in margins and image; abrasions and creases in image. Dufau, a painter of Basque origin, was one of the few women artists who designed posters during the Belle Epoque. In 1898 she was accepted as a member of the Societé des Artistes Français. Although she was not a professional graphic artist, every time she designed a poster, she was successful. In 1896 she won a contest to design a poster for the Bal des Increvables and in 1903 she won another competition for her poster advertising Byrrh tonic. As jai-alai is originally a Basque sport, Dufau was an obvious choice to design this poster. She was familiar with the game and was able infuse the image with a natural fluidity and grace as well as a keen eye for the spectacle and glamour of an afternoon's sporting event. Sportissimo p. 69, Gold 129.
