Entree de Brasseur, dans Chilperic

1895

10 5/8 x 14 3/4 in /
25.4 x 35.6 cm

Single edition of approximately 50 impressions
Printed in olvie-green on wove paper
Unsigned, numbered by Kleinmann in lower left on less than half of edition
Red monogram stamp lower right on more than half of edition
Printed by Ancourt (H. Stern)
Distributed by Kleinmann, his blindstamp lower left on less than half of edition

Florimond Ronger Hervé's operetta-revue Chilpéric was revived at the Théâtre des Variétés on 18 February 1895. The plot revolves around the legends of the Merovingian king Chilpéric I, who ruled from 561-584. In act one, Landry, a shepherd, and Fredegonde are discovered by a royal hunting party in the woods. Chilpéric takes Fredegonde on as a laundress and appoints Landry as his major domo. By act two, Chilpéric has taken Fredegonde as his mistress but is preparing to dismiss her in favor of marriage to Galswinthe. The forsaken Fredegonde tries to interrupt Chilpéric's marriage to Galswinthe, but is turned away. The operetta ends with Fredegonde triggering a trap door on Chilpéric's wedding bed, dropping Galswinthe into a dungeon. She is eventually rescued, and Fredegonde pardoned.

In this lithograph, Lautrec depicts the moment where King Chilpéric, played by Albert Brasseur, makes his grand entrance.

References: Wittrock 107, Adriani 110