HENRI THIRIET (DATES UNKNOWN) PARFUM LA FERIA. 50x73 inches. J. Barreau, Paris. Condition B+: restored losses, overpainting, repaired tears and creases in margins and image. Lentheric, one of the oldest brands of French perfume, started advertising their products early in the 19th century. From that point on the company kept introducing new products to the market, often using improbably exotic names. La Feria, with its Iberian implications, is a good example of these efforts to constantly find something new. To visually support the Spanish nature of the product, Thiriet depicts a flamenco dancer swirling within the scents wafting from a brazier. Despite the intriguing interaction between the plumes of incense and the decorative border the image is less complexly Art Nouveau than usual for Thiriet, perhaps because it is an early work.
