"Danse" - Lithographie originale sur Japon - L'Estampe Moderne

Rare original color lithograph, executed by Armand Rassenfosse for L'Estampe Moderne, series number 6 published in October 1897.
One of 50 deluxe proofs printed on Japan paper with wide margins, artist's signature in the plate, publisher's dry stamp depicting a child's profile in the lower margin, numbered stamp of the deluxe edition on the verso; print preceded by a tissue guard captioned with the artist's name, title, a poem and presentation text; and another blank tissue guard.
Lithograph inspired by verses from Leconte de Lisle extracted from his collection Poèmes antiques, an extract of which is reproduced on the print's tissue guard: "Les cheveux noués d'un lien de fleurs..." ["Hair bound with a garland of flowers..."]
Magnificent French monthly publication edited between May 1897 and April 1899, L'Estampe moderne consists of original chromolithographs which, unlike other journals such as Les Maîtres de l'Affiche and as stipulated on the tissue guards, were created specially by each artist for the journal. Thus 100 prints appeared in total, covering the major artistic movements of the late 19th century: Symbolism, Art Nouveau, Pre-Raphaelites, Orientalists and Belle Époque. Each issue of four prints was printed in 2000 copies sold for 3.50F and 100 on Japan paper offered at 10F. Henri Piazza also planned a confidential deluxe printing: 50 copies on Japan paper with wide margins and 50 in black on China paper at the considerable price of 30F.
This print of handsome format is superbly printed in colors on the most prestigious of papers: Japan paper. Thick, silky, satiny and pearlescent, it contributes to making each page a work in its own right. Its quality of ink absorption and its affinity with colors also make it the ideal medium for these very beautiful lithographs.
The interest of French collectors in artistic posters intensified at the beginning of the 1890s. Octave Uzanne, to describe this fever, invented the term "affichomanie" ["poster mania"]. The poster, originally popular and posted in the streets of the capital, then became an art object and its ephemeral medium became precious and destined for preservation.
Piazza decided to remove the poster from its advertising purpose and elevate it to the rank of a work of art in its own right, equal to the illustrated deluxe book. He thus composed a prestigious collection of entirely original works by the most prominent European artists of the moment: Georges de Feure, Eugène Grasset, Henri Detouche, Emile Berchmans, Louis Rhead, Gaston de Latenay, Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer, Gustave-Max Stevens, Charles Doudelet, Hans Christiansen, Henri Fantin-Latour, Steinlen, Ibels, Engels, Willette, Henri Meunier, Evenepoël, Bellery-Desfontaines, Charles Léandre, etc.
Handsome copy in the artist's symbolist style.