Artist: Leonetto Cappiello Italian (1875-1942)
Title: Coquelin Cadet
Plate: LR C2
from "Le Rire"
Original page from the satirical weekly magazine, Printed in Paris 4/2/1898, no. 222.
Presented in 16 x 20 in. acid free, archival museum mat, with framing labels. Ready to frame. Shipped boxed flat via Fedex.
Certificate of Authenticity.
Sheet Size: 9 in x 12 in 23 cm x 31 cm
Price: $250.00
"The French actor known as Coquelin made his debut at the Comedie Francais in 1860 and achieved fame in classic roles, such as the valet in Figaro. He made an extensive tour of Europe and America in 1886. In 1897 he created his greatest characterization, the title role of Cyrano de Bergerac, at the Theâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin, which he also managed. In 1900 he toured the United States with Sarah Bernhardt and returned to Paris to play opposite her. Highly critical and analytical towards his art, and believing in simulated rather than real emotions" (Columbia Encyc.)
"In 1898 when he (Leonetto Cappiello) decided to pay a visit to his older brother who happened to be working for the Paris Stock exchange. Leonetto found Paris exciting, and wanted to stay longer, which meant he had to find a way to support himself. He approached two famous compatriots who happened to be in town, actor Novelli and composer Puccini, asked them to let him sketch their caricatures. They obliged, and Cappiello submitted the drawings to the humour magazine "Le Rire" they were promptly accepted, and were so well received by the public that he became, virtually overnight, the favoured artist of the Paris Theatre" (Rennert PAI-IX)
One of the magazines asked him to prepare his first poster (Le Frou Frou) for which he used the style of his "Le Rire" work, simple drawing and flat colour. From that point on he was inundated with commissions for posters. These early works he did for "Le Rire" were instrumental in the start of his career, and thus their importance to the serious collector cannot be overestimated.