?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 35,000 - $ 45,000
FERNAND TOUSSAINT (1873-1955) CAFE JACQMOTTE. 1896. 44 1/4x33 1/2 inches. O. de Rycker & Cie., Brussels. Condition A: minor repaired tears in margins; creases in margins and image. Framed. Henri Jacqmotte started roasting coffee in Brussels in 1828. A passionate connoisseur of the drink, he was one of the first merchants to select coffees from different countries in order to create sophisticated blends. In 1895 he opened his first coffeehouse, which was a quiet and elegant establishment on Brussel's Grand Place. It wasn't long before he was operating a chain of coffeehouses throughout Belgium and Europe. Toussaint was part of the young Belgian avant-garde. At the turn of the century Brussels was a major center of artistic creativity. Powerful artistic movements and groups, such as La Libre Esthetique and Le Sillon, that attracted avant-garde artists from all over Europe, were based there. It was for "Le Sillon" that Toussaint created his first poster in 1895. The following year, in the same style, he designed this image for Jacqmotte. These two masterpieces have become Toussaint's legacy. This indescribably luminous poster shows an elegant woman sipping from her cup of coffee. Filling the air around her, like the aroma of her drink, the steam from her cup evolves into the most sophisticated typographic swirl. The image is both stunning and flamboyant, marvelously executed in strong bright colors. Notice, too, the inventive "CJ" logo, which mirrors the smoke-like flourish of the larger text. This extraordinarily fresh copy of the poster bears an ink stamp, "Specimen O. DeRycker & Cie. / pour collections" indicating that is was pulled from the presses by the printer and kept in pristine condition for the collecting public. DFP-II 1131, Reims 1504, Maitres 1900 p. 96.
