ALPHONSE MUCHA SLAVIA. 1907. 24 3/4x14 1/4 inches. TH. Bohm, Nove Metso. Condition B+: restoration and overpainting in margins; repaired tears and creases in image; minor staining in text; horizontal fold. "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 often said to be based on Mucha's portrait of Josephine Crane Bradley (the daughter of his friend and patron Charles R. Crane). However, as the poster is dated 1907, and the painting 1908, it is clear that Mucha incorporated the girl's portrait into a pre-existing image, rather than the other way around. The image was also used in the 1920s on a Czech 100 krown note. Rennert/Weill 93.
