Lot 7
La Vérité / Le Vélo-Caténol! 1897.
Sold
$1,920
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Lot 7
La Vérité / Le Vélo-Caténol! 1897.
Estimate:
$2,000
- $2,500
Sold
$1,920
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Est.
$2,000
- $2,500
Live Auction
PAI-LXXVII: Rare Posters
Live Bidding began Feb 24, 2019 at 11:00 AM EST
ARTIST
DECAM
Category
Description
Artist: DECAM
Size: 31 1/8 x 63 1/2 in./79 x 161.3 cm
Condition: A-/ Slight tears at edges.
Printer: Imp. P. Lemélin, Asniéres
Reference: Ref: Bicycle Posters, 53; PAI-LXIII, 244
Key Words: Bicycles; Art Nouveau; By Air, Land, or Sea
La Vérité / Le Vélo-Caténol! 1897.
While Decam has provided us with a few references, this iconic image remains to be a largely unsolved puzzle. Based on the allegorical imagery frequently associated with the French proverb “La Verité sort du puits” (The Truth comes out of a well), in which a nude female representing Truth is seen leaping forth from a well, we are presented with an alternative heroine: she is chained to the well with what appears to be a bike chain, while a bike-chain-like mechanism is depicted behind her as she makes a superstitious hand gesture against bad luck. Whether the chains are meant to protect or punish the truth, we may never know—but this Vélo-Caténol bicycling ad is undeniably engrossing.
Size: 31 1/8 x 63 1/2 in./79 x 161.3 cm
Condition: A-/ Slight tears at edges.
Printer: Imp. P. Lemélin, Asniéres
Reference: Ref: Bicycle Posters, 53; PAI-LXIII, 244
Key Words: Bicycles; Art Nouveau; By Air, Land, or Sea
La Vérité / Le Vélo-Caténol! 1897.
While Decam has provided us with a few references, this iconic image remains to be a largely unsolved puzzle. Based on the allegorical imagery frequently associated with the French proverb “La Verité sort du puits” (The Truth comes out of a well), in which a nude female representing Truth is seen leaping forth from a well, we are presented with an alternative heroine: she is chained to the well with what appears to be a bike chain, while a bike-chain-like mechanism is depicted behind her as she makes a superstitious hand gesture against bad luck. Whether the chains are meant to protect or punish the truth, we may never know—but this Vélo-Caténol bicycling ad is undeniably engrossing.
