Albert-Émile Artigue, Albine, 1898, Lithograph on Paper

Albert-Émile Artigue (1850-1927)

Albine

Original Lithograph from the glorious portfolio "L'Estampe Moderne", issue #10 (February 1898)

On wove paper

Year: 1898

Size (sheet): 405 x 305 mm

Signed in the plate "A Artigue", upper right

Blind stamp of the publisher, lower right

Excellent condition: minor signs of age and handling
Full margins (not cropped, not trimmed)
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About the Collection (L'Estampe Moderne)

L'Estampe Moderne appeared in 1897-1899 as a series of 24 monthly fascicles, each containing 4 original lithographs, printed by Parisian Imprimerie Champenois. Many accomplished European Art Nouveau painters contributed works to this publication, which contained only Original prints invented and produced especially for this collection. The publication was edited by Charles Masson and H. Piazza. Each issue came in a paper cover bearing an original lithograph by Alphonse Mucha.
Each lithograph was accompanied by a tissue containing the details (title of the artwork, name of the artist, etc.) and a short text by a well-known author who inspired the artist.
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THE ARTIST

Albert-Émile Artigue was a French-Argentine painter and lithographer who became a celebrated figure of the Belle Époque, particularly for his contributions to the Art Nouveau movement. Born in Buenos Aires but trained in Paris under the renowned Alexandre Cabanel, Artigue’s work embodies the elegance and decorative fluidity of the turn of the century. He was a master of capturing the "Parisienne"—the modern, fashionable woman of his time—depicting his subjects with a delicate balance of sophistication and natural charm.

His posters and lithographs are characterized by graceful, sweeping lines and a soft, pastel-toned palette that reflected the era's obsession with floral motifs and feminine grace. Beyond his commercial success in graphic arts, Artigue was a talented educator, sharing his expertise at the Académie Julian. Whether through his intimate oil portraits or his iconic advertisements, he possessed a unique ability to elevate everyday elegance into a form of poetic, enduring art that defined the visual language of his generation.
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from the text on the tissue paper:

Elle devait mourir avec les fleurs... Et, muette, sans un soupir, elle se coucha sur le lit, sur la floraison des jacinthes et des tubéreuses. Ne bougeant point, les mains jointes sur son cœur, elle continuait à sourire, elle écoutait les parfums qui chuchotaient dans sa tête bour-donnante. Ils lui jouaient une musique étrange de senteurs qui l'endormait lentement, très doucement... Les belles-de-nuit piquaient çà et là un trille discret. Puis, il y eut un silence. Les roses, languissamment, firent leur entrée. Du plafond coulèrent des voix, un chœur loin-tain. C'était un ensemble large, qu'elle écouta au début avec un léger frisson. Le chœur s'enfla, elle fut bientôt toute vibrante des sonorités prodigieuses qui éclataient autour d'elle. Les noces étaient venues, les fanfares des roses annonçaient l'instant redoutable. Elle, les mains de plus en plus serrées contre son cœur, pâmée, mourante, haletait. Elle ouvrait la bouche, cherchant le baiser qui devait l'étouffer, quand les jacinthes et les tubéreuses fumèrent, l'enveloppèrent d'un dernier soupir, si profond qu'il couvrit le chœur des roses. Albine était morte dans le hoquet suprême des fleurs.
E. ZOLA
(La Faute de l'abbé Mouret)

English Translation:

She was to die with the flowers... And, mute, without a sigh, she lay down upon the bed, upon the blooming hyacinths and tuberous tuberoses. Motionless, her hands joined over her heart, she continued to smile; she listened to the perfumes whispering in her buzzing head. They played for her a strange music of scents that lulled her to sleep slowly, very gently... The marvels-of-peru struck a discreet trill here and there. Then, there was a silence.

The roses, languidly, made their entrance. from the ceiling flowed voices, a distant choir. It was a broad ensemble, to which she listened at first with a slight shiver. The choir swelled; soon she was entirely vibrant with the prodigious sonorities bursting around her. The nuptials had arrived; the fanfares of the roses announced the formidable moment. She, her hands pressed ever tighter against her heart, swooning, dying, gasped. She opened her mouth, seeking the kiss that was to stifle her, when the hyacinths and tuberous tuberoses exhaled their smoke, enveloping her in a final sigh, so profound that it drowned out the choir of roses. Albine had died in the supreme hiccup of the flowers.

E. ZOLA
(The Sin of Father Mouret)

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Important:

. The listing is for the original print, in the above mentioned excellent condition.
. The original tissue paper introduction will be given to the buyer as a gift
. The cover by Mucha and the edition (back of the cover) are shown as a reference and proof of authenticity and edition