Jules Charles Truffier and Marguerite Moreno in Les Femmes Savantes - Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

A lithograph by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec depicting actors Jules Charles Truffier and Marguerite Moreno in a scene from Molière's Les Femmes Savantes.

This lithograph by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec captures a scene from the Comédie-Française production of Molière's play, Les Femmes Savantes. The work depicts the actors Jules Charles Truffier and Marguerite Moreno in character. Toulouse-Lautrec, a frequent observer of the Parisian theatre scene, utilised his signature fluid line to document the nuances of performance and the atmosphere of the stage. The composition focuses on Truffier, seated in a high-backed chair, his posture and hand gestures conveying a sense of theatrical authority. Beside him, the figure of Moreno is rendered with lighter, more ethereal strokes, creating a contrast between the solid presence of the male actor and the delicate, almost ghostly appearance of his counterpart. In the background, a framed portrait hangs on the wall, adding a layer of depth to the interior setting while maintaining the artist's characteristic economy of detail. Toulouse-Lautrec's approach to printmaking often involved a rejection of heavy shading in favour of expressive, gestural marks. By leaving large areas of the paper blank, he directs the viewer's attention to the essential silhouettes and expressions of his subjects. The work demonstrates his ability to capture the fleeting nature of a theatrical moment through the medium of lithography. The artist's monogram is visible in the lower corner, a mark of his involvement in the production of these limited edition prints. This piece offers a glimpse into the late nineteenth-century French theatre, reflecting the artist's fascination with the performers who inhabited the stages of Montmartre and beyond. The print remains a record of a specific cultural moment, preserved through the artist's keen observation and technical skill.