ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939) AMANTS. 1895. 41x54 inches, 104x137 cm. Affiches Camis, Paris. Condition B / B-: restored losses and restoration in margins; repaired tears, restored losses and restoration in image. Framed. One of Mucha's earliest posters, it was also the only design he created for the Theatre de la Renaissance that did not portray Sarah Bernhardt. The format is unique within his oeuvre and it is his only image to depict so many different people at once. Mucha succeeds in conveying the complexities of the plot by dividing the image into three sections "separated by [his] patented ornamental dividers; front and center is occupied by a gala party scene . . . ; in the upper left, children are watching a Punch-and-Judy show; and in the upper right a hint of tragic undertone behind the lighthearted activities" (Lendl p. 114). It is a tour de force of Mucha's nascent talent as a draughtsman and his ability to capture movement. Rennert / Weill 7, Mucha A3, DFP-II 625, Triumph des Jugendstils 4, Lendl 10, Reims 896.
