By Alphonse Mucha
Located in New York, NY
Mucha's Primrose poster is a true design masterpiece, showcasing a rich interplay of botanical and historical elements. The top border features opium poppies, while the second is lined with Cobea flowers, also known as the cup-and-saucer vine. The aureole surrounding the central figure is adorned with hollyhock blossoms. The female figure wears her hair in a low coiffure, and delicately holds a candelabra primrose to her nose, as if savoring its fragrance. In Mucha's Plume poster, an elegant woman with a high coiffure holds a goose quill and laurel branches. The aureole surrounding the central figure is based on the famous rose window of the Cathedral of Chartres. The shape of the quill and how she holds it is a reference to the holding of palm branches by saints in Christian icons of Saints. Instead of the meaning of martyrdom, Tiffany’s chosen virtues are more secular, the quill representing knowledge and the laurels a Greek symbol of poetry. The top border of the poster is similarly adorned with opium poppies, while the second border features anemones.
Item #: ML-21626
Artist: Alphonse Mucha
Country: France
Circa: 1899
Dimensions: 29" height, 11.25" width (unframed) 38" height, 20" width (framed)
Printer: Imp. F. Champenois, Paris (not shown)
Materials: Lithograph paper, Giltwood gesso frame
Signed: Mucha 99
Literature: Mucha/Art Nouveau, p. 198 Rennert/Weill, 64; Lendl/Prague, 219; Mucha/Art Nouveau, 51; PAI-XCII, 280
Macklowe Gallery Curator's Notes:
Her elaborate headdress draws inspiration from Italian jewelry, specifically from the Lombard period (568–774) and the Early Renaissance (1400–1490). A striking ruby medallion...
Category
Late 19th Century French Art Nouveau Antique Alphonse Mucha Furniture