Listed Russian/French Artist and Designer Erté* Signed, on lower right, this Masterful, Asian-influenced Figural. It is an Original, Limited Edition Serigraph on heavy Lithographic Paper, c. 1985, Numbered 199/300. It is Titled "Mah Jongg" and is one part of the 'Mah Jongg' Suite. The other part, Titled "Opium" is also available at our store, at this time - gagabee, please click link above/right. Depicted are two sets of red screens with female figures in various costumes. Behind them is larger, taller screen, decorated with a red and gold dragon against a black background. Above them is a 'black on black' image of a highly stylized dragon - the first image in this listing was taken from the internet because it showed the image without glare. All other images are from the piece in our possession.
2" Wide Rounded Glossy, Black Mica moulding with a 3 1/2" Wide Hand Wrapped, One-piece Linen Liner with a Gold metal strip and plexiglass are included in this listing. We believe everything in contact with the piece is Acid Free (see 2nd to last image). The mica moulding is delaminating, mostly on the sides so it might need a new frame
Image opening measures 27 1/2 X 38 1/2 and is in Very Good to Excellent condition.
Outside measure of the frame is 38 X 49 and is in Fair to Good condition.
Please carefully examine all images for condition.
Apologies for glare or reflection in Images due to photographing under glass(plexi).
Shipping in flat box approx $175.00 can be removed from frame and shipped rolled or flat, please contact us with your address for a shipping quote
Erté / Romain de Tirtoff (1892 -1990) was a Russian-born French artist and designer known by the pseudonym Erté, from the French pronunciation of his initials. He was a diversely talented 20th C. artist and designer who flourished in an array of fields, including fashion, jewelry, graphic arts, costume and set design for film, theater, opera, and interior décor. Tirtoff was born Roman Petrovich Tyrtov in Saint Petersburg, to a distinguished family with roots tracing back to 1548. His father, Pyotr Ivanovich Tyrtov, served as an admiral in the Russian Fleet. In 1910–12, Romain moved to Paris to pursue a career as a designer. He made this decision despite strong objections from his father, who wanted Romain to continue the family tradition and become a naval officer. Romain assumed his pseudonym to avoid disgracing the family.
In 1915, he secured his first substantial contract with Harper's Bazaar magazine, and thus launched an illustrious career that included designing costumes and stage sets. Between 1915–1937, Erté designed over 200 covers for Harper's Bazaar, and his illustrations would also appear in such publications as Illustrated London News, Cosmopolitan, Ladies' Home Journal, and Vogue.
Erté is perhaps most famous for his elegant fashion designs which capture the Art Deco period in which he worked. One of his earliest successes was designing apparel for the French dancer Gaby Deslys. His delicate figures and sophisticated, glamorous designs are instantly recognizable, and his ideas and art still influence fashion into the 21st century. His costumes, program designs, and sets were featured in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1923, many productions of the Folies Bergère, and George White's Scandals.
In 1925, Louis B. Mayer brought him to Hollywood to design sets and costumes for the silent film Paris. There were many script problems, so Erté was given other assignments to keep him busy. Hence, he designed for such films as Ben-Hur, The Mystic, Time, The Comedian, and Dance Madness.
By far, his best known image is Symphony in Black, depicting a somewhat stylized, tall, slender woman draped in black holding a thin black dog on a leash. The influential image has been reproduced and copied countless times.
Erté continued working throughout his life, designing revues, ballets, and operas. He had a major rejuvenation and much lauded interest in his career during the 1960's with the Art Deco revival. He branched out into the realm of limited edition prints, bronzes, and wearable art.
Two years before his death, Erté created seven limited edition bottle designs for Courvoisier to show the different stages of the cognac-making process, from distillation to maturation. In 2008, the eighth and final of the remaining Erté-designed Courvoisier bottles, containing Grande Champagne cognac dating back to 1892, was released and sold for $10,000 a piece.
His work may be found in the collections of several well-known museums, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); as well, a sizable collection of work by Erté can be found at Museum 1999 in Tokyo.
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