Predestined to continue a long-standing family business in home decorations, Armand Rassenfosse chose a different career inspired by the prints by Félicien Rops his uncle gave the youngster as a present during his studies in Namur. Intrigued by these prints he went to experiment with the technique himself. Armand's talents were recognised by Adrien de Witte and Gustave Serrurier-Bovy and he was advised to florish his talents. At the age of twenty-fine Armand visited Paris where he met Félicien Rops, a meeting which resulted in a life-lasting and close friendship. Both artists were fascinated by experimental etching techniques and it's possibilities which resulted into a new Ropsenfosse technique by the use of a transparant vernis mou varnish. Rassenfosse left his family business for good and after an internship at Jules Chéret he became artistic director of the printing shop Bénard in Paris. Due to his friendship with Rops he was introduced to the editor of Société des Cent Bibliophiles Eugène Rodrigues (Erastène Ramiro) and Charles Baudelaire and was commissioned to illustrate the 1899 edition of Les Fleurs du Mal with 130 etchings, his Magnum Opus and a landmark in book-illustration Art. After 1900 Rassenfosse devoted his time mostly to painting female nudes and hiercheuses.
Raised in Arcadia as the son of Hermes and the nymph Penelope, Pan was the God of the forest, cattle, wild nature and animalistic instinct. Traditionally depicted as Satyr with horns, a human male upper body and the hairy legs of a goat, Pan chased the nymph Syrinx who wished to remain a Virgin. She prayed to the Gods for help after which the Goddess Gaea turned her into reeds. Pan plucked seven of these reed stems which he used to create his flute which was named after him.
