?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 2,000 - $ 3,000
GEORGES MEUNIER (1873-1922) OTARD DUPUY & CO. COGNAC. Circa 1896. 48 x 33 inches. Chaix. Paris. Condition B+: restored loss and restoration in upper right corner; creases in image; repaired tears at edges. Among Cheret's students who worked with him in his studio at the Chaix printing plant (including Lucien Lefevre, Rene Pean and Baylac), Meunier is the only one who developed his own personal style. His work departed from the four-color system that Cheret had mastered and incorporated a richer palette, as in this poster with his use of green. His women are more sensuous, and his posters are more narrative. This rare image is one of his best. It is a soft-toned illustration depicting a d'après dinner moment, and the interaction between a monocled aristocrat and a young beauty. The classic belle epoque scene plays off of the cultural stereotype of all older men of means having a younger woman as their lover. And while cognac was never really considered a feminine drink, in some cases, apparently, a few drinks were necessary in order to face the rest of the evening. Wine Spectator 26.
