La peau de chagrin CONDER, Charles (1868-1909)

Transfer lithograph, c 1903. Printed in sanguine from one stone. Dimensions of printed image 245 x 305 mm. "CONDER" within image, lower left; titled "Le (sic) Peau de Chagrin" within image, lower right; signed "Charles Conder" lower left margin; "no. 9" lower right margin. During his time in Australia (1884-90) the English artist Charles Conder became an important figure in the Australian art scene, not the least because of the major part he played in the development of Melbourne's Heidelberg School. In 1899 Conder produced a portfolio of lithographs based on the stories of Balzac. La peau de chagrin (The Magic Skin) illustrates a scene from Balzac's story of the same name, but as Campbell Dodgson notes in his catalogue of Conder's lithographs and etchings (1913, no. 9) this lithograph is not part of that series and was probably made a few years later. Dodgson also states that this lithograph was exhibited at the Society of Twelve (London) in 1905.