Jean-Pierre Cassigneul Large Signed Original Artist's Proof Lithograph, 1977

  

Large original signed lithograph of a nude woman reclining, by Jean-Pierre Cassigneul b. In 1977, Jean-Pierre Cassigneul partnered with the publisher Editions Lidis to create a limited collection of 30 illustrations for Charles Baudelaire's poems, Les Pièces Condamnées (the Condemned Poems). The collection of poetry was so named because it was banned from from the larger collection: Les Fleur du Mal (The Flowers of Evil), published in 1857.

The six banned poems were considered, in 1857, to be far too sexually exciting for public consumption. The Condemned Poems were eventually published in 1866, one year before the death of Charles Baudelaire. The collection of condemned poems included the titles: Lesbos, Doomed Women, The (River) Lethe, She Who Is Too Gay, The Jewels, and The Vampire's Metamorphosis.

As I don't have access to the entire collection, I cannot be precisely sure which poem this lithograph is illustrating, but it is likely from Doomed Women or The Vampire's Metamorphosis. In any case, this lithograph presents Cassigneul at his best.

The subject is a nude, languid woman, her hair thick, dark and lustrous as she lays back on her pillow. Signed in pencil to the lower right, and marked E. To the lower left for Épreuve d'artiste (Artist's Proof). As an Artist's Proof, this may be the only version exactly like this in existence. Indicates that this is work from very early in the illustrative process.

The lithograph is in excellent condition, mounted on board. Framed and mounted in a black and gold giltwood frame and glazed under Perspex/Plexiglas.

I can make out a smudge on the underside of the Perspex/Plexiglas (shown in the last photograph) but it does not effect the print. There is minor wear to three corners of the wooden frame (all photographed). But the print itself is in pristine condition, and the whole piece is ready to hang. The lithograph measures 65cm x 47.5cm and the frame is 94cm x 77cm.