Jan 26, 2017 - Sale 2435

Sale 2435 - Lot 145

Price Realized: $ 5,000
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 800 - $ 1,200
ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939) [LE CARILLON DE PAQUES / EASTER BELLS.] 1896.
16x11 7/8 inches, 40 1/2x30 1/4 cm.
Condition A: unevenly trimmed at edges; minor smudges in margins; tipped to mat at top edge. Paper. Matted and framed.
A charming piece that was used for the cover of the magazine La Soleil du Dimanche. An early piece for Mucha, this is more Symbolist in style, lacking the decorative arabesques for which he became so well-known. The image was instantly popular, and publishers vied for the privileged opportunity to produce it as a collector's print. La Plume announced on April 15, 1896, that it would be issuing the print, but it turned out that it was Arnould, a competitor, who finally got the project. In his catalogue from June, 1896, he offers the print from a run of only 46, for sale at 10 francs each. This copy is not numbered. Rennert / Weill 8, Mucha Grand Palais 14, Darmstadt 35, Lendl p. 131.