?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 5,000 - $ 7,500
ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939) [THE SEASONS.] 1897. 17 1/2x24 inches, 44 1/2x61 cm. Condition A-: sharp creases in lower left corner; light creasing in margins and image; minor abrasions at edges; pencil notations in bottom margin. Paper. Mucha designed his first series of allegorical seasons in 1896. In the wake of their commercial success he went on to design this series the following year. While in many ways this second group of allegorical beauties are much like the first, there are also some differences between the two. Most obviously, these are substantially smaller in size and sharper in color 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. However, 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. They were also sold to poster collectors in this blank format. Rennert / Weill 37 var. 2, Mucha C3b.
![ALPHONSE MUCHA (1860-1939). [THE SEASONS.] 1897. 17x24 inches, 44x61 cm.](https://catalogue.swanngalleries.com/full//411\692411.jpg)
