HENRI DE TOULOUSE-LAUTREC (1864-1901) DIVAN JAPONAIS. 1893. 30 3/4x23 1/4 inches, 78x59 cm. Edw. Ancourt, Paris. Condition A-: minor tear along left edge; trimmed top and side margins. Paper. Matted. The Divan Japonais was a small cafe-concert at 75 rue des Martyrs where Yvette Guilbert began her career. This is Toulouse-Lautrec's only poster to show both Jane Avril and Yvette Guilbert, the two Montmartre demimondes who were both his friends and major inspirations. Jane Avril was the star dancer at the Moulin Rogue. She is pictured here seated next to the literary critic, Edouard Dujardin. On stage in the background, Guilbert is depicted from the neck down, recognizable by her trademark long black gloves. The composition is built along the diagonal of the stage and the orchestra in the style of Japanese wood block prints that were so fashionable in Paris at the end of the 19th century. Lautrec impishly punctures the diagonal with the priapic scrolls of the instruments. Delteil 341, Wittrock P2, Adriani 9, Maitres pl. 2, Weill p. 47 no. 37, Maitres 1900 p. 49, Wine Spectator p. 49.
