Image of Gallery in South Kensington
Request to view at the Prints & Drawings Study Room, level C , Case Y, Shelf 83, Box E

Confetti

Poster
ca. 1894 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This poster advertising confetti puts Toulouse-Lautrec's use of the 'spray' or 'splatter' technique to great effect. In a process pioneered by the artist himself, an ink-soaked brush would be held over the lithographic plate and rubbed against a grid, to produce a fine spray of droplets. The resulting effect could be one of great delicacy, used to add nuanced tones and subtle shading or, when applied with gusto, could create bolder and more dramatic results. For this technique Toulouse-Lautrec took inspiration from a decorative effect employed in Japanese lacquer: urushi or 'sprinkled' lacquer.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleConfetti (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Colour lithograph
Brief description
Poster, 'Confetti', Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, French; ca. 1894.
Physical description
A woman with long, blonde hair and elbow-length, black gloves clutches her hat as three disembodied hands emerge from the top left corner and shower her with confetti.
Dimensions
  • Height: 571mm
  • Width: 452mm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
  • HTL (Signed with monograph, bottom right.)
  • Confetti / Manufactured / by, / J & E Bella, / 113 Charing Cross Road. / London / WC. (Text of poster.)
  • imp, Bella & de Malherbe London & Paris (Text on botton right of poster.)
Subjects depicted
Summary
This poster advertising confetti puts Toulouse-Lautrec's use of the 'spray' or 'splatter' technique to great effect. In a process pioneered by the artist himself, an ink-soaked brush would be held over the lithographic plate and rubbed against a grid, to produce a fine spray of droplets. The resulting effect could be one of great delicacy, used to add nuanced tones and subtle shading or, when applied with gusto, could create bolder and more dramatic results. For this technique Toulouse-Lautrec took inspiration from a decorative effect employed in Japanese lacquer: urushi or 'sprinkled' lacquer.
Associated object
E.231-1921 (Duplicate)
Bibliographic references
  • Robins, Anna Gruetzner, and Richard Thomson, Degas, Sickert and Toulouse-Lautrec: London and Paris, 1870-1910, London: Tate Britain, 2006.
  • Taken from Departmental Circulation Register 1971
  • pp. 112-3 Hannah Brocklehurst and Frances Fowle. Pin-ups : Toulouse-Lautrec and the art of celebrity. Edinburgh : National Galleries of Scotland, 2018. 120 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 30 x 17 cm. ISBN: 9781911054214
Other number
C.17828 - Previous number
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.681-1971

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdMay 23, 2006
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest