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Chilpéric was a Merovingian operetta by Florimond Hervé in which Marcelle Lender (1863-1927) played the lead. Lautrec was so fascinated by her decolleté, her back, and her costume that he saw the performance several times. He made six lithographs of Lender and the present painting which was preceded by protracted studies. In the painting Lautrec presents the scene against which the dancer's movements can be best observed. He uses beams of light shining up from below, which give a mask-like and yet highly individualised and characteristic appearance to the faces.
Marcelle Lender was a variety artist who first appeared at the Theatre Montmartre at the age of 16. Her greatest success was in the operetta Chilpéric in which she both sang and danced.
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