Miarka la Gitane et le Mage Ordonoff - after Louis Galice

Christophe Adrien (Count) Regley de Koenigsegg

A watercolor copy in miniature of the poster by Louis Galice (French: 1864 - 1935), advertising the arrival of Miarka the Gypsy and the Mage Ordonoff at the Casino de Paris. This was done between 1895 and 1900 while Miarka was on tour as a fortune teller. Little is found on the two, though in 1900 they would be featured at the 1900 Paris International Exposition. In a small blurb in the spiritualist publication Journal du Magnétisme et du Psychisme Expérimental, January, 1901, reports were that France was host to "Spiritualist meetings, thought-readers, cases of questioning... on all sides." Says the journal: "Miarka the gypsy and the mage Ordonoff have just amazed the people of Rouen for over a month. We have not forgotten the predictions of Mlle Couédon relating to the Paris cyclone, the Bazar de la Charité, the death of Felix Faure, etc...." Aside from this information little is found on the subjects of this artwork, despite its beauty.

Upon his retirement from the French Navy, Koenigsegg spent his time learning watercolor, copying scores of posters by the master Belle Epoque artists of the late 19th century. He appears to have greatly enjoyed their work, as in most works he has captured every minute detail with extreme care.