TOULOUSE-LAUTREC (de), Henri (1864-1901)

TOULOUSE-LAUTREC (de), Henri (1864-1901)

Original drawings. Ink on paper [Dog and cat]
N.p.n.d [c. 1876-1880], 1 p. in-4° in black ink
On the verso a study in English on Cromwell from an unknown hand
Monogram stamp (Lugt 1338) on lower left corner
Tiny stain on right hand margin, slight missing bits on upper and lower margins, overall browning

Charming studies of animals by young Toulouse-Lautrec

This freehand study of animals should be compared with an important series of drawings that the young Toulouse-Lautrec most probably produced while he was a pupil at the Lycée Fontanes (now the Lycée Condorcet) in Paris. A similar sketch from the same period appears on the work catalogued as D.448 in M.G. Dortu’s catalogue raisonné, which depicts a dog’s head very close to the one presented here.
Although it is not possible to identify the writer of the English exercise on the verso of the sheet, the same handwriting can be observed in an “English translation exercise” (Thème anglais) on the verso of another work by the artist, catalogued this time as D.449 in the catalogue raisonné.

If we look closely at the study of the dog on the right, we notice that the head of the animal is more elaborate than the rest of the body, which has remained in the state of primitive outline. The cat, on the other hand, is sketched in a more accomplished way. The fact remains that the very young Toulouse-Lautrec reveals here a style that is already his own, immediately recognizable.

A certificate of authenticity from the Toulouse-Lautrec Committee issued on November 12, 2024 will be given to the buyer.