(Le Courrier Francais after J. Chéret)

Christophe Adrien (Count) Regley de Koenigsegg

France’s famous weekly Le Courrier Francais was known for its humorous copy and racey illustrations representing the fin de siecle, or end of the century, and its covers were often used to advertise the staff’s events in Paris. Of the many artists hired by the publication, J. Cheret was one of the most regularly employed. The original poster for this piece, executed in 1891 and widely published in 1892, remains one of Le Courrier’s most recognizable commissioned works and features a voluptuous fairy with a bow and arrow, tickling the face of a satyr with an arrow’s feathered end.

Koenigsegg, who didn’t take up painting until after his retirement as Brigadier General for the French navy, took great delight in reproducing the works of this and other leading Belle Epoque artists in watercolor miniature.