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ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939)
98
●
LYGIE. 1901.
69
1
/
2
x23 inches, 176
1
/
2
x58
1
/
2
cm. F. Champenois,
Paris.
Condition A. Two-sheets. Framed. Unexamined out
of frame.
Lygie was a young performer who, in an act
presented at the
Folies Bergère
, would strike
poses taken fromMucha’s posters and decorative
panels, creating living tableaux in costumes.
Mucha himself helped with the production
and had a hand in designing the sets and
costumes. It was a fashionable pastime in the
1890s for women of all social backgrounds to
play charade-like games in which they would
strike a pose of a certain poster and have their
fellow players try and guess which poster it was.
For Mucha, to design such a self-referential
poster must have been a delight, if not a challenge;
how to design an original poster depicting a
woman who is posing as a Mucha poster,
without copying a previous poster? He achieves
this by providing a classic image with all of his
favorite ornamental and decorative elements,
from the mosaic in the halo behind the actress’
head, to the flowers and the decorative borders.
One cannot help but recognize the wistful
expression of the performer, which resembles
the visage of the maiden in Mucha’s
La Fleur
(see lot 138), as well as her clasped hands,
which closely echo his 1897 version of
Spring
.
Lendl p. 62, Brno 49, Rennert / Weill 77,
Mucha Grand Palais A. 49, Mucha / Henderson
90, Mucha / Bridges A46, Triumph des
Jugendstils 40.
[12,000/18,000]