French erotic watercolour by famous painter, dekorateur, illustrator and poster designer Leo Fontan  (1884 Donchery/Ardennes - 1965 Annecy). Pupil of Luc Olivier Merson, Léon Bonnat and Fernand Cormon. After study he settled . in Paris .  He worked  in the studio of Martine de Poiret, frendship with  Jean Gabriel Domergue. Regularly exhibited in the salon of the SAfr. (member)and in the salon of the Humoristes. Prizes:  1925 Gold Med. Expos. des Arts décoratifs in Paris; in 1936 price as  Pupil of Bonnat; 1944 silver Med.; Knight of the  Honor legion. - F. arranges postcard series (charm, 1900-14; L´Opiomane, around 1910) and book covers (Maurice Leblanc, Bouchon de cristal and further adventures of the Arsène Lupin, 1912-14). Besides he illustrated a lot of . books (J.Dubois, La Baieonnette, 1916; a work from the row Les Orties of blanches, of Paul away, 1934) and Periodika (Luxe de Paris, 1913; La vie parisienne, 1918-21) as well as travel guides of Lubin (1929). He created  62 illustrations with galant images  for month.magazines  Art Eros in 1920-28 (our watercolour is from this series) , posters, e.g. for the revue theatre Les Folies Bergère (Un coup de foil, 1930), also leaflets (for  Paris Hotel Scribe, 1935) and works for the alpine association La Montagne (1932). As a decoration painter F. receives great orders for the arrangement of the passenger liners Théophile gau animal, Athos III and Ile de France (dinner hall and large salon). Besides he painted genre scenes, interieurs and landscapes  (Aqu., Pastell). Since 1923 frequently  represented in auctions , among other´with the watercolours  La Réussite and Le Tango (both 15./16.6.1923 Paris, Hôtel Drouot) as well as the oil painting  Venise (16.10.1992 Paris).

Literature:  Vo2, 1955. Edouard-Joseph II, 1931; DBF XIV, 1979; Osterwalder, 1890-1945, 1992; Bénézit V, 1999. – IFF, Après1800 VIII, 1954; R.Gaudriault, La gravure de mode féminine en France, P. 1983; L´officiel internat. des cartes postales de coll. (P.) 1991.