FA CAZALS – Original signed drawing. Paul VERLAINE on his deathbed.
An extraordinary testimony, depicting the poet lying on his bed on the evening of January 8, 1896, the very day of his death.
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An extraordinary testimony, depicting the poet lying on his bed on the evening of January 8, 1896, the very day of his death.
Sold
(Paul VERLAINE) – Frédéric-Auguste CAZALS (1865-1941)
Original signed drawing. Verlaine on his deathbed.
One square octavo page (141 x 147 mm).
(Paris). Evening of January 8 (1896)
A drawing unlike any other in Verlaine's iconography.
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Charcoal and graphite, enhanced with white gouache and watercolor on fine vellum paper.
An extraordinary firsthand account depicting the poet lying on his bed on the evening of January 8, 1896, the very day of his death.
Several other drawings or sketches by Cazals depicting Verlaine on his deathbed are known. They are all dated January 9, the day after the poet's death.
Our drawing presented here, made on January 8, just a few hours after the poet's death, offers an overview of the tragic scene, suggesting Cazals' wish to forever fix the setting in which his friend passed away: the floral wallpaper, the walnut bed and the white sheets.
This poignant drawing, with its striking atmosphere, has remained unknown until now.
Traces of folds indicate that the paper seems to have remained, as a relic, in Cazals' pocket or among his papers.