A Large Watercolor and Pen-and-Ink Portrait of a Dandyish Cat

Painting. Very Good +. A striking Louis Wain portrait (an original watercolor and pen and ink on paper) of one of his ever-fascinating, anthropomorphized cats. This one in a colorful jacket and tie and vest; in a laughing, almost joyous pose. In bright, very sharp condition, with soft greens and yellows and oranges, and strokes of offsetting dark and light-brown splashes. A touch of mild creasing to the paper, very subtle offsetting as well. BOLDLY SIGNED BY LOUIS WAIN below the cat's right foot. A highly-accomplished portrait, measuring 8" tall x 6" wide within the matting and frame. (We have not examined the piece outside of its frame so we're uncertain of precise mmeasurements, though clearly it's larger than 8" x 6"). Louis Wain (1860-1939) was a British artist best known for his skillful, very unusual cat portraits, the man whose life (including the last 15 years in an insane asylum) was made into a 2021 film ("The Electrical Life of Louis Wain"), with Benedict Cumberbatch playing Louis Wain. Here proudly offering this original watercolor (circa 1890s) from this artist of endless fascination.