The Seated Clowness (Mademoiselle Cha-u-ka-o) (from the series Elles)
Medium
Crayon, brush, and spatter lithograph with scraper printed in five colors on wove paper with watermark (G. Pellet / T. Lautrec); only state
Dimensions
Image: 20 9/16 × 15 13/16 in. (52.2 × 40.1 cm) Sheet: 20 9/16 x 15 13/16 in. (52.2 x 40.1 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Scofield Thayer, 1982
Accession Number
1984.1203.166(3)
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the vibrant underworld of 1890s Paris, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec the essence of performers like Mademoiselle Cha-u-ka, a celebrated Japanese clowns at the Moulin Rouge circus, in *The Seated ClownessMademoiselle Cha-u-ka)* from his *Elles* series (1896). This poignant lithograph portrays her in a moment of quiet repose amid the glitz of cabaret life, highlighting Lautrec's fascination with the marginalized women of the Belle Époque—clowns, dancers, and courtesans—who embodied the city's bohemian spirit. Printed in five colors using innovative crayon, brush, spatter, and scraper techniques ...
About the Artist
Gustave Pellet|Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French|French) · 1859 |1864 –1919 |1901
French, Paris 1859–1919 Paris|French, Albi 1864–1901 Saint-André-du-Bois