104 / 242
ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939)
96
●
LA TOSCA. 1898.
40x13
3
/
4
inches, 101
1
/
2
x35 cm. F. Champenois, Paris.
Condition B+: repaired tears at edges; minor skinning and paper remnants in lower
text; minor water stain in lower right corner; small abrasion in left margin; repaired
pin holes in corners; paper stamp in lower image. Matted and framed. Unexamined
out of frame.
In 1887, Sarah Bernhardt commissioned her close friend Victorien Sardou to write
La Tosca
. Although the tale has achieved near immortality through the Puccini opera
based on the story (which premiered in 1900), Bernhardt successfully performed it
as part of her repertoire for years. This particular poster advertised a run of the show
that began in January 1899. The poster is a textbook example of the designs Mucha
created for the actress, with its the elongated format, a “halo” behind the actress’
head and the text divided between the top and the bottom of the poster. However,
the highly stylized decorative element of the swan heads reflects something totally
new in Mucha’s graphic vocabulary. “This is the only one of the posters for Sarah
Bernhardt’s play which exists only in the small format” (Rennert / Weill p. 221).
This lot bears the overprint for a single performance on July 4th, 1899 at the Casino
Villa des Fleurs in Belgium. Rennert / Weill 57, Lendl p. 57, Brno 40, Mucha Grand
Palais 117, Darmstadt 107, Mucha / Henderson 89, Mucha / Bridges A43, Triumph
des Jugendstils 16, DFP-II 647.
[4,000/6,000]
ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939)
97
●
LA PASSION. 1904.
79
1
/
4
x28
1
/
2
inches, 201
1
/
4
x72
1
/
2
cm. F. Champenois, Paris.
Condition B+: repaired tears and minor restored losses along horizontal creases through
image; staining in bottom margin and central image; rippling in image. Two-sheets.
Framed. Unexamined out of frame.
“
La Passion
was a drama by Edmond Haraucourt in seven acts describing the last
days of Christ. The play was accompanied by music by Johann Sebastian Bach.
La
Passion
, printed by F. Champenois, Paris, is one of Mucha’s most heartfelt posters,
expressing his love of church music in a simple but very moving design. Christ’s
pensive, fatigued expression reflects Mucha’s own emotional response to the event.
Using a tall, narrow format, he framed Christ’s head with a large circle of red
passionflowers and thorny branches. He chose the passionflower for the presumed
resemblance of its parts to the instruments of the crucifixion. In the far distance
are faint images of the three crosses of Calvary and a dome representing a mosque
or the Temple of Jerusalem. The lower part of the background includes a diagonal
flow of stars. The simple vertical lines on the right side of Christ’s robe contrast
with the rich folds on the left, where his hand holds a smaller wreath of thorns”
(Spirit of Art Nouveau p. 172). “This is one of Mucha’s rarest and most sensitive
posters. Note the use of the stars in the background, not seen since
La Dame Aux
Camelias
and
La Samaritaine
” (Rennert / Weill p. 312).
RARE
. We have found only
three other copies at auction since 1994. Lendl p. 63, Brno 53 (var), Rennert / Weill
88, Mucha Grand Palais 308, Mucha / Henderson 95 (var), Mucha / Bridges A52,
Spirit of Art Nouveau 31.
[6,000/9,000]