?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 5,000 - $ 7,500
ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939)
JOB. 1898.
61 1/4x39 1/4 inches, 115 1/2x99 3/4 cm. F. Champenois, Paris. Condition A- / B+: minor losses and abrasions at edges; minor creases in corners; fading in image.
Mucha's second poster for Job, done two years after the first, is one of his best advertising pieces. Here, Mucha provides the viewer with three levels of reading that constantly reinforce the brand. The woman sitting in a circle, her dark hair contrasting with her skin and pink dress, is eye-catching in and of herself, as is the big, bold lettering across the top. As viewers look more closely at the image, they discover that Mucha has also included the company name in the wallpaper behind the figure, that she is holding a package of the product, and finally, that her brooch also bears the Job logo. The image and design create a masterpiece of commercial art. Rennert / Weill 51, DFP-II 634, Modern Poster 9, Wine Spectator 74, Wember 610, Lendl 50, Weill 59, Maitres 1900 p. 18, Meisterplakate 164, Schardt p. 137, Triumph des Jugendstils p. 59, Art Nouveau p. 112.
