Alexis MOSSA (Santa Fe de Bogotá, 1844 – Nice, 1926) - Lot 627

Alexis MOSSA (Santa Fe de Bogotá, 1844 – Nice, 1926) The elder Coquelin in *Cyrano de Bergerac*. Oil on panel, signed lower right with the intertwined monogram “AM” and dated 1901. Height: 100.5 cm Width: 36.5 cm Period wooden frame with gilded stucco. Notes: Benoît Constant Coquelin, known as “the Elder,” was the actor who first brought to life the central character in Edmond Rostand’s play *Cyrano de Bergerac*, whose 1897 premiere would contribute to the fame of both its author and its star. This great actor, who had left the Comédie-Française to devote his talent exclusively to the repertoire that suited him best, was born in Boulogne-sur-Mer. Alexis Mossa, an artist from Nice, known for his luminous watercolors and his rare portraits of celebrities, depicted Cyrano posing proudly in this striking portrait, which perfectly captures the spirit of the witty exchanges in this successful comedy.