This exquisite lithograph after Jean Cocteau (1889–1963), titled Bacchante assise (Seated Bacchante), from the folio Vins, Fleurs et Flammes (Wines, Flowers, and Flames), originates from the 1956 edition published by M. Georges Duhamel, the L'Academie francaise, Grand Officier du Tastevin, Paris, and rendered and printed by Daniel Jacomet at l'atelier Jacomet, Paris, November 17, 1956. The composition showcases Cocteau’s refined graphic line and symbolic lyricism, blending wit, mythology, and poetic form within an elegant modernist aesthetic.
Executed as a lithograph and pochoir on grand velin d'Arches special paper, this work measures 12.75 x 10 inches. Unsigned and unnumbered as issued. The edition exemplifies the precision and craftsmanship of Daniel Jacomet’s atelier and the painterly delicacy of Cocteau’s late period.
Artwork Details:
Artist: After Jean Cocteau (1889–1963)
Title: Bacchante assise (Seated Bacchante), from the folio Vins, Fleurs et Flammes (Wines, Flowers, and Flames)
Medium: Lithograph and pochoir on grand velin d'Arches special paper
Dimensions: 12.75 x 10 inches (32.39 x 25.4 cm)
Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered as issued
Date: 1956
Publisher: M. Georges Duhamel, the L'Academie francaise, Grand Officier du Tastevin, Paris
Printer: Daniel Jacomet, l'atelier Jacomet, Paris
Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium
Provenance: From the folio Vins, Fleurs et Flammes, published by M. Georges Duhamel, the L'Academie francaise, Grand Officier du Tastevin, Paris, and printed by l'atelier Jacomet, Paris, November 17, 1956
Notes:
Excerpted from the folio (translated from French), M. Georges Duhamel from the L'Academie francaise, Grand Officier du Tastevin has received for all of his work, and in particular for his collaboration on Vins, Fleurs et Flammes, A Travers Nos Vignes, the literary prize of the brotherhood of the Knights of Tastevin for 1956, done and given at the Castle of the Clos de Vougeot in Burgundy, November 17, 1956. It was pulled CCCLXXX examples on velin d'Arches special, numbered from I to XXX examples, including an original watercolor from Uzelac, a suite on Japan from the off-text of the book, a suite on Japon from the variants of Uzelac, and two original etchings, one signed by Bertin and the other by Uzelac. Numbers of XXXI in examples with a continuation on Japon of the illustrations of the book and the variant and an original etching by Bertin. Issues from LI to CCCLXXX examples on velin d'Arches special.
About the Publication:
Vins, Fleurs et Flammes (Wines, Flowers, and Flames) was published in 1956 by M. Georges Duhamel, Grand Officier du Tastevin of the Academie francaise, as a celebratory homage to the literary and artistic culture of Burgundy and the French brotherhood of the Knights of Tastevin. The edition, printed by Daniel Jacomet at his renowned Paris atelier, combined pochoir and lithographic processes to achieve the vivid texture and color modulation that defined Jacomet’s mastery in reproducing modern art. Conceived as a poetic and pictorial exploration of French viticulture, passion, and ritual, the volume united essays, drawings, and color plates by leading artists and writers. Each example was printed on luxurious grand velin d'Arches special paper and issued in multiple states, including copies featuring original watercolors and etchings by contemporary masters such as Uzelac and Bertin. The publication embodies the postwar revival of the fine art book in France—an intersection of literature, art, and craftsmanship that bridged the creative traditions of Parisian ateliers with the literary refinement of the Academie francaise. Its issuance at the Clos de Vougeot in Burgundy marked the symbolic union of French artistic and cultural heritage, celebrating the spiritual and sensual pleasures of creation.
About the Artist:
Jean Cocteau (1889–1963) was a French artist, poet, playwright, filmmaker, and designer whose boundless imagination and multidisciplinary genius made him one of the most influential cultural figures of the 20th century. Born in Maisons-Laffitte near Paris, Cocteau emerged as a prodigy whose creative energy spanned literature, cinema, theater, music, and the visual arts, reshaping modern creativity through his conviction that beauty, myth, and imagination were universal languages. A central figure of the Parisian avant-garde, he moved among and collaborated with Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray—artists who, like Cocteau, were revolutionizing modern thought through bold experimentation. His early collaboration with Picasso and Erik Satie on Parade (1917) for Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes signaled a new era of interdisciplinary art, merging music, design, and theater into a total work of imagination. Cocteau’s visual art—characterized by fluid line drawings, mythological motifs, and lyrical simplicity—revealed a mastery of composition that blended classical elegance with modern abstraction. His murals for the Chapelle Saint-Pierre in Villefranche-sur-Mer and the Chapelle Saint-Blaise-des-Simples in Milly-la-Foret stand among the great achievements of sacred modern art, balancing spirituality and modernist form with serene clarity. Equally revolutionary were his contributions to literature and film: his novels (Les Enfants Terribles), plays (La Machine Infernale, Les Parents Terribles), and films (La Belle et la Bete, Orphee, Le Testament d’Orphee) established him as one of the founding visionaries of poetic cinema, influencing filmmakers such as Federico Fellini, Jean-Luc Godard, David Lynch, and Guillermo del Toro. In fashion and theater, his collaborations with Coco Chanel, Christian Dior, and Elsa Schiaparelli merged art and couture, expanding his influence beyond the visual and literary arts. His friendship with Jean Marais inspired some of his most intimate works, while his portraits and ceramics revealed a wit and grace that elevated simplicity to transcendence. Cocteau’s aesthetic bridged classical myth and modern psychology, dream and reality, light and line—an approach that inspired later artists from Andy Warhol, David Bowie, and Jean-Michel Basquiat to Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. His works are held in major museums including the Centre Pompidou, the Musee Jean Cocteau in Menton, the Tate, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and his enduring appeal lies in his ability to unite art forms through poetry, elegance, and imagination. Standing alongside Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Joan Miro, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray, Cocteau remains a beacon of creative synthesis whose influence continues to shape modern art, film, and design. His highest auction record was achieved by Jean Marais dans “La Belle et la Bete” (1946), which sold for $611,622 at Sotheby’s, Paris, on October 18, 2023, reaffirming his enduring legacy as one of the most visionary, poetic, and collectible artists of the modern era.
Jean Cocteau Bacchante assise Seated Bacchante Vins, Fleurs et Flammes, Cocteau Jacomet, Cocteau velin d'Arches special, Cocteau lithograph pochoir.
