CHARLES CONSTANTIN HOFFBAUER (FRENCH-AMERICAN, 1875-1957) SCENE FROM A MASQUERADE BALL, watercolor and gouache on paper, a stylized depiction of elaborately dressed figures arranged in expressive postures on a balcony illuminated by paper lanterns while they observe the activities below, signed lower right and retaining an old ink-inscribed label verso "HOFFBAUER / No.3 / Sketch for murals, / ballroom of Francois Coty / Chateau de Montbazon, / Tours, France". Housed in a modern frame. Circa 1925. 9 1/2" x 13 1/2" sight, 19 3/4" x 23 1/2" OA.
Catalogue Note: Born in France, Charles Constantin Hoffbauer (1875-1957) studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts alongside classmates Henri Matisse, Henri Evenpoel, and Georges Roualt. Hoffbauer was successful at a young age, winning medals at various competitions and receiving critical acclaim for his work around the turn of the 20th century. In 1909, he traveled to the United States, where he established himself in the New York art scene with the aid of his friend, Charles Dana Gibson. In the United States, Hoffbauer worked on numerous public and private commissions, including the massive Civil War historical murals at the Confederate Memorial Institute Hall in Richmond, Virginia, now the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. With the outbreak of World War I in Europe and nearing the completion of these murals in 1914, Hoffbauer returned to France, where he volunteered to serve in the trenches, recording some of these nightmarish experiences in letters and in an article for Leslie's Illustrated titled "The Horrors of Trench Life". Following the completion of the war, Hoffbauer returned to Richmond and, after completing revising all of his previous work, began the process again. Ultimately, the murals were a huge success that further accelerated the artist's career, generating commissions all across the country. The University of Richmond awarded Hoffbauer an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree in 1930.
The present example is a study for a mural at Chateaux D'Artigny, the palatial French Neoclassical-style home of Francois Coty, a wealthy perfume and business magnate of the 1920s known for his extravagant lifestyle. The chateaux, now a luxury hotel, still retains the murals as well as other Hoffbauer art.

Excellent overall visual condition. Frame with minor wear. Not examined out of frame.