Pung by Erté

Erté (Romain de Tirtoff) 1892-1990 | Russian-French Pung Signed “Erté” (lower right) Inscribed “Mah-Jongg / Tommy 2 / No. 344” (en verso) Gouache and gold on paper Erté renders a stylish gold and white costume titled Pung, for a character in the 1925 production of Mah-Jongg. Resembling a traditional Chinese acrobatic, the charming figure wears a tightly fitted cap and a white vest adorned with graceful swirling motifs. The costume's arms and legs are adorned with flowing golden fabric, complementing the character's pointed feet and spade-shaped hands. The character's name, Pung, is drawn from a tile in the eponymous game of mahjong. Originating in China in the 19th century, the pastime combines skill, strategy and luck, and quickly grew in popularity worldwide. Thanks to the breadth of the artist’s cultural experiences in his youth, Erté’s visionary Art Deco style looked to both the glory of the ancient world and the allure of Eastern artistic traditions. Erté melded the iconic mot