Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) - Mahjong (1985)

Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) - Original Large Embossed Color Serigraph with foil stamping Hand Signed by Erté "Mahjong", 1985

"Mahjong" comes signed and with a certificate of authenticity.

A serigraph of a black dragon and a red screen with gold and black figures in highly designed traditional clothing. There is a red dragon in the center. Erte' creates figures with elaborate clothing, headpieces, and hairstyles. The piece is hand-signed. The edition number is 42/300. The piece comes with a certificate of authentication.

Mahjong is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is played by four players (with some three-player variations found in parts of China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and Southeast Asia). The game and its regional variants are widely played throughout East and Southeast Asia and have also become popular in Western countries. The game has also been adapted into a widespread online entertainment. Similar to the Western card game rummy, mahjong is a game of skill, strategy, and luck. To distinguish it from mahjong solitaire, it is sometimes referred to as mahjong rummy.

Hand signed on lower right Erté in pencil. Numbered on lower left 223/300. Embossed and gold embellishment accent. No frame.  

• Original Serigraph
• Dimensions: 45 x 35 in (114 x 89 cm) 
• Hand Signed and Numbered 42/300
• Unframed
  
  Erté was born Romain de Tirtoff in St. Petersburg, Russia on November 23rd, 1892 and was raised amidst Russia's social elite. At the age of five he created an evening gown for his mother and managed to persuade the adults to craft it, they were astounded by the results. In 1912, Romain left St. Petersburg for Paris at the age of nineteen with the aim of becoming an artist. After working with Paul " Le Magnifique" Poiret on several theatrical productions Romain, still under the pseudonym of Erte, began to work more independently. He hand-crafted original costume and fashion designs for many of the era’s most renowned actresses, including Joan Crawford, Lillian Gish, Marion Davies, Anna Pavlova, Norma Shearer, and others. His masterpieces for the stage included extravagant production designs at venues such as New York’s Radio City Music Hall, the Casino de Paris, and the Paris Opera. In 1915 he began his long professional relationship with Harper's Bazaar and created 240 covers for the esteemed magazine. For 6 months in 1916, Erté simultaneously worked with Vogue as well. As a result of his highly publicized success, Erté would later be called the father of the ‘Art Deco’ movement.