Lot 384
Precious Stones. 1902.
Sold
$168,000
Place Bid
Lot 384
Precious Stones. 1902.
Estimate:
$170,000
- $200,000
Sold
$168,000
Enter Max Bid
(Min. $150,000)
The system will automatically bid for you.
Est.
$170,000
- $200,000
Live Auction
PAI-LXXXVII: Rare Posters
Live Bidding began Jul 12, 2022 at 11:00 AM EDT
ARTIST
ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939)
Category
Description
Artist: ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939)
Size: Each: 18 1/8 x 41 1/4 in./46.3 x 104.9 cm
Condition: A. Framed.
Printer: Imp. F. Champenois, Paris
Reference: Rennert/Weill, 73, Var. 1; Lendl/Paris, 76 (var); Wine Spectator, 75 (var); PAI-LXXX, 436
Key Words: Art Nouveau; Artist: Mucha
Precious Stones. 1902.
This is one of Mucha’s best sets, and one of the rarest, with only three or four known to have survived among collectors. Each gem is represented by a lovely lady, and its characteristic color, in all its hues, is worked into the entire pattern, including the girl’s dress and the flowers at her feet. Perhaps the most unusual exotic flavor is given to the green-eyed Emerald vixen who is wearing a green snake ornament in her hair. Note that she is also leaning on an arm rest in the shape of a ferocious beast with open jaws. The lady of the Amethyst appears to have been originally bare from the waist up, because there is a letter in Mucha’s correspondence from Champenois about the subject—the printer is asking him to cover up the lady’s breast, otherwise there might be objections on moral grounds. “This set, done appropriately enough in the period when Mucha was associated with the goldsmith Fouquet and ventured into designing jewelry, is in Mucha’s mature style. There is still a circular motif in the background, but otherwise the design is virtually bare of adornments and ornamental borders. The name of each precious stone appears in plain print in the lower margin” (Rennert/Weill, p. 264). This is the impressive larger format. (4)
Size: Each: 18 1/8 x 41 1/4 in./46.3 x 104.9 cm
Condition: A. Framed.
Printer: Imp. F. Champenois, Paris
Reference: Rennert/Weill, 73, Var. 1; Lendl/Paris, 76 (var); Wine Spectator, 75 (var); PAI-LXXX, 436
Key Words: Art Nouveau; Artist: Mucha
Precious Stones. 1902.
This is one of Mucha’s best sets, and one of the rarest, with only three or four known to have survived among collectors. Each gem is represented by a lovely lady, and its characteristic color, in all its hues, is worked into the entire pattern, including the girl’s dress and the flowers at her feet. Perhaps the most unusual exotic flavor is given to the green-eyed Emerald vixen who is wearing a green snake ornament in her hair. Note that she is also leaning on an arm rest in the shape of a ferocious beast with open jaws. The lady of the Amethyst appears to have been originally bare from the waist up, because there is a letter in Mucha’s correspondence from Champenois about the subject—the printer is asking him to cover up the lady’s breast, otherwise there might be objections on moral grounds. “This set, done appropriately enough in the period when Mucha was associated with the goldsmith Fouquet and ventured into designing jewelry, is in Mucha’s mature style. There is still a circular motif in the background, but otherwise the design is virtually bare of adornments and ornamental borders. The name of each precious stone appears in plain print in the lower margin” (Rennert/Weill, p. 264). This is the impressive larger format. (4)
