KOLOMAN MOSER (1868-1918) RICHARDSQUELLE. 1899.
23x71 inches, 58 1/2x180 1/4 cm. Friedr. Sperl, Vienna.
Condition B: overpainting and restored losses in lower text, margins and along vertical fold; repaired tears, creases and restoration along printer's creases in margins and image and along vertical and horizontal folds; repaired pin holes in corners; collector's stamp on verso of linen. Two-sheets.
Koloman Moser was a founding member of the Austrian Secession and a professor at Vienna's School of Arts and Crafts. Together with Josef Hoffmann he co-founded the Weiner Werkstätte and was a versatile and prolific artist in his own right. Book design, graphic design, interior design, jewelry, furniture, silverware, fashion and ceramics were just some of the fields in which he worked. Much of his graphic work was done on behalf of the Secession and his commercial posters are quite rare. Here, he advertises mineral water from the Bohemian spa town of Lazne Kynzvart (Bad Königswart, in German). Richardsquelle, the name of the spring, was named after Prince Metternich's son Richard (1829-1895). The first printing of several variations, this poster was issued again around 1908, including the image of the bottle itself. Mascha p. 48, Denscher p. 138.