ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939) CHOCOLAT MASSON / CHOCOLAT MEXICAIN / FOUR SEASONS. 1896. Each approximately 16 1/2x5 3/4 inches, 42x14 1/2 cm. F. Champenois, Paris. Condition varies, generally A. Matted and framed. After the success of his first set of decorative panels glorifying the seasons in 1896, Mucha's printer, Champenois, immediately commissioned a second series. While in many ways this second group of allegorical beauties is much like the first (Mucha's two visions of winter are quite similar), there are also some differences between the two. In this later set the colors are sharper, in contrast to the pastel palette of the first series. More importantly, this series was designed within a decorative graphic frame. For the decorative panels, the top space was filled with a floral design and the bottom space bore the name of each season (but these spaces could also be left empty). This was a critical commercial decision, as it made these panels attractive to advertisers, who would use the blank spaces to fill in their particulars. Chocolat Masson did just that and were clearly so happy with the results that they came back to Champenois the following year and used Mucha's Ages of Man for their next advertising promotion. As these images were used for Chocolat Masson's 1897 calendar, it makes sense that the images were designed in 1896, thus refuting the up-until-now universally considered date of design of 1897. Rennert / Weill 37, var. 2.
