Citation
"The Birthday of Madame Cigale (Aubrey Vincent Beardsley) , 1943.645,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Nov 14, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/297828.
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This drawing illustrates a procession of 5 visitors bringing a variety of gifts to Madame Cigale, seated on the left. The visitors are of stereotypical Asian appearance, and their gifts include a hat, a bird, and flowers. The visitor at the front of the line bows submissively and holds out his gift, a pair of slippers. Madame Cigale’s large gown reveals an exposed breast, as she greets her visitors with a wave. The entire composition is modeled after Japanese paintings, the perimeter decorated with fanciful plants and creatures and with a linear wave pattern.