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an image of a brown book with a blue writing on ita box with a drawing on it next to a box with a drawing on itan old book sitting on top of a table next to a boxan open book sitting on top of a table next to a white tablean old book with a drawing of a man in a suit and tiean image of a drawing of a man and a woman looking at each otheran old book with a drawing of a street scene on ita picture of a picture of a cat sitting on a balconyan old book with a drawing on it sitting on top of a tablepainting of a street scene with buildings and a horse drawn carriagean old book with a drawing of a woman and two catsan old picture of a bride and groom standing in front of a buildingan old book with a drawing of a city on itan old book with a drawing of a city on itan old book with a drawing of a group of people sitting at a tablean old book with a drawing of a man sitting on a balconyan old drawing of a horse drawn carriage in front of a buildinga picture of a book with a picture of a woman and a catan old book with a drawing of a woman in a green dresspainting of a city street scene with people walking on the sidewalkan old book with a drawing of a kitchen scene on itan old book with a picture of a horse drawn carriagean old book with a drawing of a man sitting on a bench in front of a lakepainting of a woman sitting on a ledge reading a bookan old book with a drawing of a bunch of people on itpainting of a woman laying on a bed with a building in the backgroundan image of a drawing of a room with a windowpainting of a street scene with a horse drawn carriage in the foregroundan open book with a picture of a bird on itan open book with a drawing of a bird on it
Premium Maître Nicolas CONSTANTY

198 - FOUJITA Tsuguharu Leonard (1886–1968) – *La Rivière enchanté…
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Estimate €30,000 - €40,000
Sale commission
Description
FOUJITA Tsuguharu Leonard (1886–1968) – *La Rivière enchantée* (The Enchanted River), by René HERON DE LA VILLEFOSSE (1903–1985). 1951. Paris, Bernard Klein. Large quarto (385 x 290 mm). Copy no. 213/315 on Arches vellum. Complete with all 26 etchings and the text. Publisher’s slipcase, original beige cloth case with the artist’s name on the top cover. Unbound, in an illustrated folder featuring a black-and-white etching by the artist, illustrated cover, bound, folio. 26 plates, including 2 initial letters, most signed; plate sequence; proof of print run; 110 pp. Minor wear and tears on the folder, which is decorated with an additional engraving to the 26 plates; very slight traces of ink smudges from the text leaves in the margins). 16 are coloured, plus 2 initials (and not 11 as indicated in the table). Our copy, bearing the printed note in the proof ‘PRINTED SPECIALLY FOR MADAME SPINOSA’, contains the following sequence of plates: - I – Portrait of the author, black-and-white engraving signed in pencil. - II – Self-portrait of Foujita, black-and-white engraving signed and inscribed in pencil: ‘In memory of the river, Foujita’. - III – The Fountain of the Innocents, initial letter in monochrome. - IV – Les Halles, black-and-white engraving, signed in pencil. - V – The Palais-Royal, colour engraving, signed and inscribed in pencil: “In memory of the river, Foujita”. - VI- Maxim’s, monochrome engraving, signed in pencil. - VII- The Faubourg, colour engraving, signed in pencil. - VIII- The Woman with Jewellery, black-and-white engraving, signed in pencil. - IX- Place Beauvau, colour engraving, signed in pencil. - X- The Élysée, colour engraving, signed in pencil (incorrectly listed as ‘in black’ in the table). - XI- Saint-Philippe, colour engraving, signed in pencil. - XII- Fouquet’s, black engraving, signed in pencil. - XIII- Longchamp, black and green engraving (as indicated in the table), unsigned. - XIV – Queen of England, monogram in monochrome. - XV – Brothel, black engraving, signed in pencil. - XVI- Les Halles, colour engraving, signed in pencil. - XVII- Rêve de Parfums, colour engraving (erroneously listed as black in the table), signed and inscribed in pencil: ‘In memory of the river, Foujita’. - XVIII – Place Vendôme, colour engraving, signed in pencil. - XIX – The Great Hairdresser, black-and-white engraving, unsigned. - XX – The Champs-Élysées, colour engraving, signed in pencil. - XXI- Marigny, black-and-white engraving, signed in pencil. - XXII- Midinette, colour engraving, signed in pencil. - XXIII- The Collection, colour engraving (erroneously listed as black-and-white in the table), signed in pencil. - XXIV- Opera Dream, colour engraving, signed in pencil. - XXV- Charpentier Auction, colour engraving (erroneously listed as a black-and-white engraving in the table), signed in pencil. - XXVI- Les Ternes, colour engraving, unsigned. References: Sylvie & Dominique Buisson, Léonard-Tsuguharu Foujita Vol. II , Édition ACR, Paris, 2001. This artist’s book is a celebration of Paris, centred on the Faubourg St Honoré. The text reveals the city through the eyes of a learned and passionate historian, in which the Seine takes centre stage. It explores the history of the city’s monuments and neighbourhoods over the centuries through the perspectives offered by ‘The Japanese Man of Montparnasse’. The glamorous Paris, the hard-working Paris, the erotic Paris… The artist lived through the Belle Époque and the Roaring Twenties, rubbing shoulders with the greatest artists at the famous cafés Le Select and La Coupole. He was one of those who shaped the image of Paris that the whole world knows, and with good reason: as well as being famous in his own right, he rubbed shoulders with all the celebrities of his time. Amedeo Modigliani and Chaïm Soutine were his immediate neighbours at the Cité Falguière, and he developed a close friendship with them. He met Pablo Picasso the very day after his return from Japan. His other artistic acquaintances included Henri Matisse, Fernand Léger, Juan Gris, Moïse Kisling, Jules Pascin, Ossip Zadkine, Kees van Dongen, Maurice Utrillo and Marie Laurencin. Foujita was an eccentric dandy, much sought after in avant-garde intellectual and literary circles. He regularly socialised with figures such as Jean Cocteau, Guillaume Apollinaire, Max Jacob and Blaise Cendrars. He also associated with Robert Desnos, the future partner of Youki, Foujita’s ex-wife, as well as Colette and André Gide. Among the composers, Maurice Ravel, Francis Poulenc and Darius Milhaud were part of his circle. A regular at fancy dress balls and high-society soirées, he spent his nights at La Rotonde, Le Dôme or La Coupole in the company of Kiki de Montparnasse, the legendary model for his nudes against a milky-white background, and the Surrealist photographer Man Ray. His acquaintances also included Joséphine Baker, Charlie Chaplin, Maurice Chevalier and Mistinguett. His inner circle comprised his muses and companions: Fernande Barrey, Lucie Badoud (whom he renamed Youki),
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About the sale Coming soon – Prestige: Paintings, Art Objects and Furniture
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Auction time 11/26/2026 at 1:30 PM
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