The Box with the Gilded Mask

Art Historical Context

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's *The Box with the Gilded Mask* (1894) captures the seductive allure of fin-de-siècle Paris, likely advertising a theatrical performance or cabaret. Created in collaboration with printers H. Stern, Edouard Kleinmann, and Edward Ancourt, this vibrant lithograph features enigmatic women adorned with ornate masks, evoking mystery and revelry. Toulouse-Lautrec, a master of Post-Impressionist posters, immortalized the bohemian nightlife of Montmartre's music halls, blending sharp social observation with bold, flattened forms and vivid colors. The print's innovative technique—crayon, brush, and spatter lithography with a scraper, rendered in five colors on wove paper—demonstrates Lautrec's pioneering approach to color printing. As the only state of this edition, it showcases his experimental mastery, allowing textures and tones to mimic the glamour of gaslit stages. Measuring about 19 × 13 inches, its intimate scale belies its cultural punch, bridging fine art and commercial design during the Belle Époque. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (bequest of Clifford A. Furst, 1958), this work highlights masks as symbols of hidden identities and feminine intrigue, reflecting Paris's obsession with spectacle and the demimonde. A testament to Lautrec's legacy, it invites viewers to peek behind the gilded facade of 1890s entertainment.

About the Artist

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec|H. Stern|Edouard Kleinmann|Edward Ancourt · 1864–1901

Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Montfa (1864-1901) was a French Post-Impressionist painter, printmaker, and illustrator whose innovative poster designs revolutionized graphic art and advertising in late 19th-century Paris. Born into an aristocratic family at Albi in southern France, Toulouse-Lautrec's privileged lineage traced back to the Counts of Toulouse and extended uninterrupted to th...