Artwork
Chassée-croisé
Chassée-croisé is a drawing by Count of St. Germain. It dates from 1963 and is held in the collection of the Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.
About this work
Overview
The title, meaning 'crossed chase' in French, may reflect the intersecting strokes that structure the image, though no narrative context is confirmed.
Chassée-croisé is a pencil sketch attributed to the Count of St. Germain, dated around 1963. It resides in the collection of the Museum of Ethnography. The work is executed with rapid, fluid lines, leaving portions of the paper bare to suggest form rather than define it. The title, meaning 'crossed chase' in French, may reflect the intersecting strokes that structure the image, though no narrative context is confirmed.
Subject & Meaning
The figure is a woman wearing a long, dark red coat with a patterned collar, her hair drawn tightly back. She holds a small red object close to her face, its purpose ambiguous—perhaps a flower, a token, or an unidentified artifact. The gesture is intimate but enigmatic, avoiding clear emotional or symbolic cues. The work invites interpretation without offering definitive clues, aligning with the artist’s tendency toward cryptic imagery.
Technique & Style
The drawing employs loose, gestural lines that overlap and intersect, creating volume through suggestion rather than shading. Areas of the paper remain untouched, emphasizing negative space. The artist’s signature, a stylized 'S' with a dot, appears near the lower edge. The technique resembles quick observational sketching, prioritizing movement and rhythm over precision, with no use of cross-hatching for tonal depth.
History & Provenance
The work entered the Museum of Ethnography’s collection in the late 20th century, with no documented exhibition history prior to its acquisition. Its attribution to the Count of St. Germain is based on stylistic comparison and the presence of his signature, though no archival records confirm its creation date or provenance before museum custody. It remains one of few known drawings from this period of his output.
Context
Created during a period when the Count of St. Germain was producing private sketches rather than public works, Chassée-croisé reflects a shift toward introspective, informal mark-making. The era saw increased interest in spontaneous drawing among European artists, often as a counterpoint to formal portraiture. This piece aligns with that trend, emphasizing immediacy over polish, though its cultural or ethnographic relevance remains unverified.
Legacy
Chassée-croisé is not widely reproduced or studied, remaining a minor entry in the artist’s oeuvre. It is occasionally referenced in discussions of his sketchbook practice, valued for its economy of line and quiet intensity. While it lacks broader cultural recognition, it offers insight into the artist’s private visual language and his engagement with the human form through minimal means.
Artist & collection
Artist
Museum
Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris
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