HENRI DE TOULOUSE-LAUTREC (1864-1901) CAUDIEUX. 1893. 48 3/4x34 3/4 inches, 123 3/4x88 1/4 cm. Chaix, Paris. Condition B: restored losses at edges; repaired tears, creases and overpainting in margins and along vertical and horizontal folds; repaired pin holes in corners. Matted and framed. Although Lautrec immortalized many of his friends and favorite performers in his posters, some, such as Caudieux, remain famous solely because of his depiction of them. Very little information remains about this comedian (also referred to as a comic singer), who performed at the Petit Casino, L'Eldorado and Les Ambassadeurs. Georges Montorgueil, who wrote the foreward to Le Cafe Concert, an 1893 portfolio of lithographs by Lautrec and Ibels depicting Parisian performers, describes Caudieux as "a fat slob, well-fed, pot-bellied and good-natured . . . the king of shirkers." Charles Hiatt, in Picture Posters (p. 66) states that Caudieux "represented in the act of quitting the stage, is masterly for its indication of movement and its powerful characterization." Lautrec returned to a similar composition in 1895 with Troupe de Mlle Eglantine, with the sloping angles of the stage boards again used to tremendous effect in creating a feeling of movement and energy. Caudieux's face may be one of Lautrec's most detailed caricatures, and it stands in brilliant contrast to the black mass of his suit. Delteil 346, Adhemar 13, Wittrock P7, DFP-II 829, Cafe-Concert 85, Art Nouveau p. 97.
