Original Plate n°114 from "les Maîtres de l'Affiche" finely printed by stone-lithography in 1898.
Alphonse Mucha has created this beautiful Art nouveau poster in 1896 for Sarah Bernard, the most famous French actrice from the turn of the century.
"The character of Lorenzaccio, in the play by Alfred de Musset, is based on Lorenzo the Magnificent (1449-1492), the most powerful of the Medicis, who ruled the city-state of Florence.
In the play, Lorenzaccio struggles desperately to save Florence, which had grown rich during his reign from the grip of a power-hungry conqueror.
Mucha represents this tyranny by a dragon menacing the city coat of arms and portrays Lorenzaccio pondering the course of his action. Sarah Bernhardt adapted the play, first written in 1863, for herself, and the new version, for which this poster was produced, opened December 3, 1896.
Never afraid to tackle a male role, Bernhardt made Lorenzaccio into the classic roles of hr repertoire"(Lendl/Paris p.18)
At the end of the 19th century, the public's passion for posters was at its height. Across Europe, many collectors were clamoring for posters of all formats and demanding special editions or additional copies.
In response to this craze, Jules Chéret founded "Les Maîtres de l'Affiche" in 1896. He chose famous posters and printed them in lithography, on a thick paper of about 29 x 40 cm.
This small-format publication, easy to collect, is the logical consequence of the collection-mania that was going through the Belle Epoque. It allows amateurs to admire and acquire the most beautiful European and American graphic works.
Each plate model is numbered at the bottom left with the inscription: "Les Maîtres de l'affiche Pl…, Imprimerie Chaix (Encre Lorilleux & Cie)". On the right, a dry stamp, logo of the edition, reproduced the image of the lithograph "Concert d'été" created by Chéret. The print run of each plate is unknown.
Every month, 4 new plates were put together in a booklet sold for Frs 2.50.- The annual subscription was Frs 27.- and at the end of the year a deluxe edition, bound, was also available.
From 1896 to 1900, Jules Chéret published 240 plates and 16 supplements.
These lithographs are a great opportunity to acquire works drawn by the greatest masters of the belle époque.