?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 1,000 - $ 1,500
FRANZ LENHART (1898-1992) R.R. GROTTE DI POSTUMIA. 1935. 38 1/2x24 1/2 inches, 97 3/4x62 1/4 cm. Giaccone & Morelli, Firenze. Condition A. Postojnska Cave, in modern day Slovenia, is world famous for its towering stalagmites, stalactites and limestone-speckled ceilings adorned with chandeliers. It became a popular tourist destination after being notably visited by Archduke Ferdinand I in 1819, and has since seen more than 36 million visitors travel its expansive corridors. Interest increased in the 1870s with the installation of the only two track railway in the world to operate inside a cave, which remains active to this day. Following World War One, Postojnska (Postumia, as it was called in Italian) was under Italian control. Lenhart trained in painting, portraiture and illustration, eventually creating a bold, distinctive style and becoming a successful travel poster artist with over 70 designs to his name. Here, he uses strong contrasts and bright colors to capture the drama of the light show within the massive caverns, towering over visitors on the railway in the background, creating a striking and singular representation of the locale. Lenhart 49.
