ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939) [SLAVIA.] 1907. 22 1/2x14 3/4 inches, 57 1/4x37 1/2 cm. Stenc, Prague. Condition B+: creases and abrasions in margins and image; vertical and horizontal folds; pencil notations in bottom margin. Paper. "Slavia," the personification of the Slavic people, was also the name chosen for this bank and insurance company founded in Prague in 1869. With Czechoslovakia still under the rule of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the name was clearly intended to attract, assure and perhaps even inspire citizens with Slavic heritage. Designed while Mucha was living in America (note the "NY" he included in front of his name), the image is laden with symbolic imagery. Slavia holds a ring in her hand which symbolizes unity (i.e. panslavism) and on either side of her chair sits a stylized falcon (in Czech, sokol), the name given to the Czech nationalist movement. This poster is based on Mucha's painted portrait of Josephine Crane Bradley, the daughter of his friend and patron, Charles R. Crane. The image was also used in the 1920s on a Czech 100 krown note. This is the Russian version. Mucha / Posters and Photographs p. 55 (var), Rennert / Weill 93 (var), Cesky Plakat 79 (var).
![ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939). [SLAVIA.] 1907. 22x14 inches, 57x37 cm. Stenc, Prague.](https://catalogue.swanngalleries.com/full//326\683326.jpg)
