Mar 09, 2023 - Sale 2629

Sale 2629 - Lot 97

Price Realized: $ 3,750
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 4,000 - $ 6,000

ADOLFO HOHENSTEIN (1854-1928)

ESPOSIZIONE D'IGIENE / NAPOLI. 1900.


94 1/2x47 1/2 inches, 247 1/2x120 1/2 cm. G. Ricordi & C., Milan.
Condition B: extensive overpainting in margins; repaired tears, creases and overpainting in image and along vertical and horizontal folds. Three-sheets. Framed.

Hohenstein designed this monumental and beautifully ornate poster for the National Hygiene Exhibition in Naples. Touting the benefits of fresh air and water, Hohenstein illustrates a "Fountain of Life," being enjoyed by a Classically-styled nude family, with a peacock at their side. Set off by gold ink background, florals and undulating decorative frames, the rich blue ink of the poster further emphasizes the element of water. The swirling lines separating the text from image are reminiscent of the artist's poster of the same year for Monte Carlo / Tir Aux Pigeons (see Swann sale 2467, Lot 222). The small, later version of this large-scale poster was printed in the commemorative Ricordi portfolio in 1914. Ricordi 161, Manifesti p. 60.