ABSINTHE ROBETTE, Framed Color Lithograph, 1896.

View Similar Items

Osmar Schindler - Internationale Kunst Ausstellung, Dresden

Georges Henri Privat-Livemont - Les Roses

Georges Henri Privat-Livemont - Cercle Artistique de Schaerbeek

Alphonse Mucha - Medee - Sarah Bernhardt (after) Alphonse Mucha, 1969

Alphonse Mucha - Hamlet - Theatre Sarah Bernhardt (after) Alphonse Mucha, 1969

Alphonse Mucha - Lorenzaccio - Sarah Bernhardt (after) Alphonse Mucha Poster, 1969

George Barbier - Nijinsky in Petrouchka.

George Barbier - Nijinsky in Cleopatre.

George Barbier - Nijinsky as 'the poet' in Les Sylphides.

George Barbier - Vaslav Nijinsky as Siegfried in Swan Lake.

George Barbier - Carnaval.

George Barbier - Nijinsky in Scheherazade.

Want more images or videos?

Request additional images or videos from the seller

1 of 7

Georges Henri Privat-Livemont
ABSINTHE ROBETTE, Framed Color Lithograph, 1896.
1896

Name: ABSINTHE ROBETTE, Framed Color Lithograph, 1896.
Brand: Georges Henri Privat-Livemont
Rating: 5 (13 reviews)

$32,000List Price

About the Item

ABSINTHE ROBETTE, color lithograph, signed and dated in the lower right: “1896/Privat-Livemont”; with the printer’s stamp in the plate in the lower left: “Des Presses de J.L. Goffart Lithographie Bruxelles” How best to capture the essence of absinthe’s appeal for the consumer market in 1896? La fee verte (the green fairy), was a popular euphemism for absinthe. Why not take inspiration from one of the hottest female performers of the day as a stand-in for the little fairy to create the ideal female personification of this product? Why not tap into the mystique of joining art and science like Loie Fuller’s captivating use of dance and light? For Privat-Livemont, his feminine ideal is the embodiment of art blended into the essence of nature. Chartreuse, the color characteristic of herbaceous absinthe in its pure state, illuminates the beguiling sprite’s form. Her tunic is ethereal; like Loie Fuller’s scarfs, there is but a wispy suggestion of material. The ribbons of fabric point upwards towards the prepared glass of absinthe. The woman holds a steady gaze upon that raised offering in knowing anticipation for what will surely be the transformative moment. Wisp-like emanations from the floral stalks and surrounding cloudy forms echo the turbid nature of the glass as water flows into the absinthe elixir. They allude to that moment when the absinthe will be transformed into an opaque libation, and all of its botanical olfactory notes will be released. The blooming of these herbal aromas will be but one of the many delights to the senses. Choose Absinthe Robette and one’s spirit will surely be transported and elevated to a higher plane. This is the allure of Absinthe Robette. George Privat-Livemont (Belgian 1861-1936) is notable for his interior decorations for Paris’ l’Hotel de Ville, l’Opera and la Comedie Francaise; however, it is his iconic poster he created in 1896 for Absinthe Robette for which he has become immortalized. Privat-Livemont’s artistic training began in Belgium at l’Ecole des Arts Decoratifs in St-Josse-ten-noode. Then from 1883-1889, while he was a student in Paris at l’Ecole de Dessin Etienne-Marcel, he began his career in interior design. He exhibited several paintings in 1886 and 1887 at the Salon de Paris. Upon his return to his native town of Schaerbeek where he taught, Privat-Livemont developed an interest in lithography. His first efforts in commercial advertisement grew like the buds of an Art Nouveau-inspired cluster of lilies. His designs unfurled their heady perfume and quickly bloomed into a full flowering of poster design whose potency was irresistible to the public. The brief period at the close of the 19th century- this period of Poster Mania- in which Privat-Livemont produced poster advertisements in the Art Nouveau style sufficed in garnering him the title bestowed by The Poster magazine: “the uncontested master of Belgian posterists.” Absinthe Robette was a brand of Belgian Absinthe and the trademark of Distillerie Petitjean & Cie, Mons, Belgique. When Petitjean died, his widow, Madame Robette, continued to run the distillery which boasted 52 employees. Absinthe is an anise-flavored spirit containing wormwood and other herbs with known medicinal properties. During the French colonial campaigns of the 1830s and ‘40s, troops were supplied with absinthe as a malarial preventative. By the time Haussmann’s system of Grand Boulevards had transformed Paris, all of the fashionable were heading to bars and cafes for their customary glass or two of absinthe for their evening l’aperitif. In reference to the spirit’s distinctive greenish hue, this daily ritual was simply known as l’heure verte (the green hour.) Industrialization and mass-production by the 1880s allowed absinthe prices to fall and soon absinthe became the preferred beverage among all social strata. The drink was served neat in a glass accompanied by a pitcher of cold water, a slotted spoon and some sugar cubes. The customer could then customize their drink by placing some sugar onto the spoon which one rested over the glass and, in a steady stream, pour the water over the sugar until the desired effect was obtained. Once a sufficient amount of water dilutes the absinthe, louching occurs which turns the clear greenish spirit into a milky, opalescent solution. As absinthe’s popularity soared, a whole sub-set of products and terms emerged from this drinking practice including special glasses with lines indicating a proper amount of absinthe; decorative slotted spoons and even fountains which allowed every companion sharing a table to add water to their absinthe, hands-free. Absinthe, known by most at this time as la fee verte (the green fairy), captures the spirit of the Belle Epoque. With the rising social class’s increased time for leisure; absinthe was the glue which cemented the working class, bohemian artists and rich bourgeoisie into one community. By the time Privat-Livemont was commissioned to create a poster to advertise this Belgian brand of absinthe, absinthe itself was at the height of its popularity; so much so, that the fledgling wine industry in France, which had become severely crippled from the phylloxera blight in the 1870s, had joined forces with supporters of the temperance movement to target absinthe as public enemy number one. Privat-Livemont’s design taps into a real need to codify absinthe’s social legitimacy. He elevates the favorite leisure-time activity to a transformative ritual. The instant appeal of Privat-Livemont’s poster catapulted Belgium’s Absinthe Robette to the coveted status of the industry’s standard-bearer.

Creator:
Georges Henri Privat-Livemont (1861 - 1936, Belgian)
Creation Year:
1896
Dimensions:
Height: 34.75 in (88.27 cm)Width: 43.25 in (109.86 cm)
Medium:
Lithograph
Movement & Style:
Art Nouveau
Period:
1890-1899
Condition:
Featured in "Posters of the Belle Epoque: The Wine Spectator Collection", Rennert, 1990, illustration #80. Unobtrusive folds, with very minor toning to edges.
Gallery Location:
Chicago, IL
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU46739894532

More From This Seller

View All

Art Nouveau "Poster for Kunstavsstellung VII" by Fraz von Stuck

By Franz von Stuck

Located in Chicago, IL

Note: We highly recommend shipping through 1stDibs for its cost effectiveness, full insurance coverage, and reliable handling. While standard parcel services are an option, the defau...

Category

1890s Art Nouveau Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Franz von Stuck
Art Nouveau "Poster for Kunstavsstellung VII" by Fraz von Stuck, 1897

$12,000

Peter Pathe - Original Lithograph Poster

By Walter Schnackenberg

Located in Chicago, IL

PETER PATHE, poster lithograph, Schnackenberg School, 1919, the image features the headline performer, Peter Pathe, in drag wearing a form-fitting button-down jacket, high-waisted shorts buttoning down the front, Mary Jane dance shoes and calf-length white socks; Pathe is depicted in motion with raised jazz hands which frame his bushy-haired heavily made-up face and body curving in dynamic lateral movement with raised front leg turned out; with printed text at the bottom: “PETER PATHE/und/Fritz Wolf-Killanyi * Renate Ferena/Tia Majja * Else Zimmermann tanzenmit grossem/Orchester (Leitung: Rob. Tants) Donnerstag, 18 Nov., amends 71/2 Uhr im Konzertsaal Hotel “Vier Jahreszeiten”/Karten zu Mk. 20. - bis Mk. 3.- bei Alfr. Schmid Nachf., Residenzstr. 7 und Otto Halbreiter, Promendeplatz 16.”; printed text at mid-right: “M. Pathe/19”; marked with the printer’s stamp in the lower right: “Oscar Consee/Kunstanstalt/Munchen/Valley Str./7-9”; the poster is secured by matting and framed with a plexiglass cover, Boston...

Category

1910s Art Nouveau Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Peter Pathe - Original Lithograph Poster, 1919

$9,000

"Art et Decoration" Original 1902 Art Nouveau Color Lithograph by Alphonse Mucha

By Alphonse Mucha

Located in Chicago, IL

Plate 57 from "Documents Decoratifs", published by Librairie Centrale des Beaux-Arts in Paris, 1902. Literature: Rennert/Weill, A.7 p. 389, Lendl p.132-33 no.105, Grand Palais no 28...

Category

1890s Art Nouveau Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Alphonse Mucha
"Art et Decoration" Original 1902 Art Nouveau Color Lithograph by Alphonse Mucha, 1899

$2,600

"Forgive Our Trespasses" Original 1899 Lithograph by Alphonse Mucha

By Alphonse Mucha

Located in Chicago, IL

Alphonse Mucha worked mainly as a poster artist and became an influential figure of Art Nouveau in late 1890s, when poster illustrations were emerging as popular art form and new pri...

Category

1890s Art Nouveau Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Alphonse Mucha
"Forgive Our Trespasses" Original 1899 Lithograph by Alphonse Mucha, 1899

$3,200

"On Earth as it is in Heaven" Original 1899 Color Lithograph by Alphonse Mucha

By Alphonse Mucha

Located in Chicago, IL

Alphonse Mucha worked mainly as a poster artist and became an influential figure of Art Nouveau in late 1890s, when poster illustrations were emerging as popular art form and new pri...

Category

1890s Art Nouveau Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Alphonse Mucha
"On Earth as it is in Heaven" Original 1899 Color Lithograph by Alphonse Mucha, 1899

$4,500

"Princess Hyacinthe" Original 1911 Lithograph, Alphonse Mucha

By Alphonse Mucha

Located in Chicago, IL

“One of Mucha’s best Czech posters, printed by the firm of V. Neubert in the Smichov quarter of Prague, was for Princezna Hyacinta, a fairy-tale ballet and pantomime with music by Oskar Nedbal and libretto by Ladislav Novák. The portrait of the popular actress Andula Sedlácková as the princess dominates the poster. The plot develops as a dream of a village blacksmith who falls asleep after digging for a buried treasure. In his dreams he becomes lord of a castle, and his daughter Hanicka becomes the Princess Hyacinth. Of her three suitors, one is a sorcerer who abducts her to his underground palace, but she is rescued by a poor knight who looks like her real-life lover. Mucha used the motif of the hyacinth throughout the entire design, from embroideries to silver jewelry, and for an elaborate circle sparkling against the mossy green background. The portrait of the actress is seen against a sky full of stars and encircled with images from the dream: the blacksmith’s tools...

Category

1910s Art Nouveau Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Alphonse Mucha
"Princess Hyacinthe" Original 1911 Lithograph, Alphonse Mucha, 1911

$90,000

1890s Art Nouveau Figurative Prints

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

Osmar Schindler
Internationale Kunst Ausstellung, Dresden, 1897

$5,162

Les Roses

By Georges Henri Privat-Livemont

Located in BOULOGNE-BILLANCOURT, FR

La composition de cette lithographie représente 3 roses vues en gros plan sur un fond de paysage bucolique, mêlant un parterre de fleurs blanches et, au second plan, quelques silhoue...

Category

Early 1900s Art Nouveau Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph, Paper

Georges Henri Privat-Livemont
Les Roses, 1903

$953

Cercle Artistique de Schaerbeek

By Georges Henri Privat-Livemont

Located in West Hollywood, CA

The gallery is opening its private collection of art nouveau and art deco paintings, lithographs and antiques for the first time in more than twenty years. Presenting an original li...

Category

1890s Art Nouveau Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Georges Henri Privat-Livemont
Cercle Artistique de Schaerbeek, 1897

$2,800

Medee - Sarah Bernhardt (after) Alphonse Mucha, 1969

By Alphonse Mucha

Located in New York, NY

These beautiful and colorful lithographic posters were hand reproduced by the Mourlot Studio's Master Printer Henri Deschamps in 1969. They are not to be mistaken with later cheap di...

Category

1960s Art Nouveau Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Medee - Sarah Bernhardt (after) Alphonse Mucha, 1969, 1969

$800

Hamlet - Theatre Sarah Bernhardt (after) Alphonse Mucha, 1969

By Alphonse Mucha

Located in New York, NY

These beautiful and colorful lithographic posters were hand reproduced by the Mourlot Studio's Master Printer Henri Deschamps in 1969. They are not to be mistaken with later cheap di...

Category

1960s Art Nouveau Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Hamlet - Theatre Sarah Bernhardt (after) Alphonse Mucha, 1969, 1969

$720

Lorenzaccio - Sarah Bernhardt (after) Alphonse Mucha Poster, 1969

By Alphonse Mucha

Located in New York, NY

These beautiful and colorful lithographic posters were hand reproduced by the Mourlot Studio's Master Printer Henri Deschamps in 1969. They are not to be mistaken with later cheap di...

Category

1960s Art Nouveau Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Lorenzaccio - Sarah Bernhardt (after) Alphonse Mucha Poster, 1969, 1969

$1,000

More Ways To Browse

Antique Drinking Fountains

Antique Aperitif Glasses

Set Of Bohemian Glass Wine

Pablo Picasso Cubist Nude 1919 Lithograph

ABSINTHE ROBETTE, Framed Color Lithograph, 1896.

View Similar Items

Georges Henri Privat-Livemont
ABSINTHE ROBETTE, Framed Color Lithograph, 1896.
1896

About the Item