Eugene Henri Paul Gauguin
Menu pochoir
French (1843-1903)
ink on paper
signed
9"h x 7"w
overall: 17"h x 15"w

Good original condition, some stains, uneven edges, as found. 

The book Gauguin Portraits features a page showing similar writing and sketching of Gauguin. 

This Menu is one of eleven menu cards illustrated by the French post-impressionist artist Paul Gauguin in 1900. Painted three years before his death at the age of 54, the menu was created with ink and pencil and painted in watercolor and charcoal.

The famous artist spent the final ten years of his life in French Polynesia, trying to make a living as a painter. He became famous only after his death.

The menu illustration is believed to have been created for dinners served at the artist’s house in Punaauia on Tahiti.

The first item 'foutimaises assorties' is an expression invented by Gauguin and means assorted little pictures. Following that, 'puaha ovriri' is wild pig, 'moa opapa sauce coco' is chicken in coconut sauce, 'roti boeuf' is roast beef and 'pas de salade' – nothing salad- is a Gauguin joke and may refer to the lack of green leaves and vegetables on the island, then lastly dessert.