Sale Pamono Louis Borgex, Les Sardinières, 1898, Original Lithograph

Louis Borgex (1873-1959)

Les Sardinières

Original Lithograph from the glorious portfolio “L’Estampe Moderne”, issue #19 (November 1898)

On wove paper

Year: 1898

Size (sheet): 405 x 305 mm
Size (image): 321 x 248 mm

Signed in the plate, bottom left

Blind stamp of the publisher, bottom right, out of the image

Excellent condition: minor signs of age and handling
Great colours
Full margins (not cropped, not trimmed)

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 (this one being by Jean Richepin).
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About the artist

Louis Bourgeois, known as “Louis Borgex” (1873 – 1959) was a French painter, caricaturist, and lithographer.

He entered the École des Beaux-Arts de Lyon and studied under Jean-Louis Loubet and Adolphe Castex-Desgrange. He moved to Paris, studied under Léon Gérôme, and began his career under the name “L. Borgex” as a draftsman and “L. Bourgeois-Borgex” as a painter. His first exhibition was at the Salon de Lyon in 1895. Defined as Post-Impressionist, some of his early paintings and drawings were nonetheless influenced by Art Nouveau and featured themes of Brittany, seascapes, and the world of fishermen. He exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français from 1898 onwards.

In the early 1890s, Borgex was close to Aristide Bruant and the Montmartre artistic community. He also dabbled in caricature, collaborating with Rabelais and L’Éclair, and produced lithographs for L’Estampe Moderne (“Les Sardinières”).

Between 1907 and 1914, Borgex produced numerous drawings: “petits métiers de rue” (small street trades) for various chocolate brands (Chocolat Louit, Chocolat du Planteur) and several advertisements (Rivoire et Carret, Pâtes Boissonnet) featuring chromos signed by him. He also executed 38 drawings of composers. In 1913, he published a biography of the musician Vincent d’Indy. He also contributed to the Collection des Cent.

from the text on the tissue paper, by Victor Hugo:

La sardine est jolie en arrivant à l’air
Comme un couteau d’argent où s’allume un éclair;
Et de cet argent-là faisant des sous de cuivre,
Les pauvres gens auront quelque temps de quoi vivre.
Mais pour aller la prendre il faut avoir le nez
Bougrement plein de poils, et de poils goudronnés ;
Car la gueldre et la rogue avec quoi l’on arrose
Les seines qu’on lui tend, ne fleurent point la rose.

Non plus que les pêcheurs, dame, les sardinières
Ne hument en bouquet des odeurs printanières.
A passer tout le jour les sardines en main,
Elles n’embaument pas le lis ni le jasmin ;
Et leurs doigts, leurs cheveux, leur linge, leur peau même,
Tout ça sent le poisson. Mais bah ! j’aime qui m’aime !
Et les gars sont plus d’un qui les aiment ainsi.
C’est qu’avec leur bonnet comme on les porte ici,
Dont les coins envolés semblent des ailes blanches,
Avec leur corselet qui fait saillir les hanches
Et dont, à l’entre-deux, le fichu reste ouvert,
Avec leur jupon court qui montre à découvert
Les mollets arrondis et les fines chevilles,
On dira ce qu’on veut, ce sont de belles filles.

Important:

. The listing is for the original print, in the above mentioned very good / excellent condition.
. The original tissue paper introduction has some folds and tears, especially along the margins, and it will be given as is to the buyer as a gift for confirming the authenticity.
. The cover by Mucha is shown as a reference