Pung by Erté

Erté (Romain de Tirtoff)
1892-1990 | Russian-French

Pung


Signed “Erté” (lower right)
Inscribed “Mah-Jongg / Tommy 2 / No. 344” (en verso)
Gouache and gold on paper

Erté renders a stylish gold and white costume titled Pung, for a character in the 1925 production of Mah-Jongg. Resembling a traditional Chinese acrobatic, the charming figure wears a tightly fitted cap and a white vest adorned with graceful swirling motifs. The costume's arms and legs are adorned with flowing golden fabric, complementing the character's pointed feet and spade-shaped hands. The character's name, Pung, is drawn from a tile in the eponymous game of mahjong. Originating in China in the 19th century, the pastime combines skill, strategy and luck, and quickly grew in popularity worldwide.

Thanks to the breadth of the artist’s cultural experiences in his youth, Erté’s visionary Art Deco style looked to both the glory of the ancient world and the allure of Eastern artistic traditions. Erté melded the iconic motifs of ancient Greece and Rome with modern sensuality and style in his costuming and set design, particularly for the performances of ancient tales like Helen of Sparta and Hercules. The artist also prominently showcased Asian-inspired designs and a growing appreciation for non-Western aesthetics. The allure of the so-called "Orient" found resonance within the geometric precision emblematic of the Art Deco style.

Russian-French visionary Romain de Tirtoff (1892-1990), popularly known as Erté, began his artistic journey in the culturally rich city of St. Petersburg, where he developed an early fondness for ballet and theatrical performances. He moved to Paris in 1912 to study architecture, and quickly found his creative niche in crafting fantastical costumes for the city’s bustling nightlife. Erté‘s expertise, refined under the guidance of the famed Paul Poiret, captured the attention of Harper’s Bazaar, marking the beginning of a significant partnership that spanned from 1915 to 1936. The artist also designed sets for notable cinematic masterpieces including Ben Hur and La Bohème, and created sets and costumes for cabarets, operas and other performances at the Folies-Bergères, Bal Tabarin, the Théâtre du Bataclan and Le Casino de Paris. Erté was a trailblazer whose colorful creations shaped the groundbreaking Art Deco era more than any other, leaving an indelible mark on the history of art and design. His artworks reside in prestigious museum collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

A nearly identical version of this design can be found in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Painted 1925

Paper: 14" high x 9 3/8” wide
Frame: 20 3/4" high x 16 7/8" wide x 3/4" deep

Provenance:
Private collection, Paris
M.S. Rau, New Orleans

Exhibitions:
M.S. Rau, New Orleans, Erté and the Era of Art Deco, October 14, 2023 - January 3, 2024