Étienne Adolphe MOREAU-NÉLATON (Paris, 1859 - 1927) The Lady with the Monkey, 1885 Pastel. Signed and dated lower left. On the reverse, on the mounting board, an inscription in ink: "Portrait of Madame Julier". 64 x 49 cm In 1885, the date of our pastel, Etienne Moreau-Nélaton confessed his interest for "literary works of modern naturalism". It was in pastel that he produced a Manette Salomon, inspired by the Goncourt novel, which was exhibited the following year at the Cercle Volnay on the occasion of his first solo exhibition, composed exclusively of works on paper. In the absence of a catalog, it is tempting to imagine that our Lady with a Monkey was included. The artist seems to allude to it when he writes: "My pastel pencils were simultaneously attacking several friendly figures that I sometimes treat with a touch of humor, transforming a portrait into a genre painting. Unfortunately, we do not know who this sympathetic Madame Julier is; however, this hilarious pastel sheds light in an amusing way on the artist's still poorly known early life.