Romain de Tirtoff, Russian, 1892 to 1990, gouache on paper painting depicting a man in a smoking suit, titled Gonzague. Signed lower right by the artist. Numbered 7462 and sealed with the artists stamp to the back. Romain de Tirtoff was a French artist and designer known by the pseudonym Erte, from the French pronunciation of his initials. He was a 20th-century artist and designer in an array of fields, including fashion, jewellery, graphic arts, costume and set design for film, theatre, and opera, and interior decor. Design Paintings And Russian Art Collectibles.