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| Artist: Adolfo
Hohenstein German (1854-1928) |
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Item: R.05
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Title: Tosca
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Description: Condition
A.
Original lithograph from the "Ricordi
Portfolio"
Printed in Italy 1914. View entire
collection (70)
Presented in 16 in x 20 in acid free, archival museum mat, with framing
labels. Ready to frame. Shipped boxed flat via Fedex.
Certificate of Authenticity.
See our Terms of Sale |
| Sheet Size: |
10 in x 14 in |
| |
25.5 cm x 35.5 cm |
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| Price: temporarily out of
stock To Request |
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Full size sold for $ 19,550 US
Swann Auctions Galleries, N.Y. Dec 2003.
"Hohenstein also accepted commissions for more enduring operas,
such as Puccini's eternal masterpiece, Tosca, which is based on the
play written by Victorien Sardou for Sarah Bernhardt, who originally
performed it in 1897. Mucha designed a poster (La Tosca, 1897) for
that production. Hohenstein's design is better than Mucha's, whose
poster is not especially inspired, with the majority of his efforts
put into the rendering of Bernhardt's sumptuous costume, and the intricate,
byzantine, background border. Hohenstein, by comparison, puts us in
the center of the drama, in the second act, when Tosca kills Scarpia,
the corrupt police chief. He has arrested her lover and is trying
to extract sexual favors to secure his release. The dramatic view
is from above, exagerating the shadow of her gown with a brilliant
use of shadows and light. The colors, from pale yellow to brown, with
red in the center of the scene, add to the striking, tragic intensity
of the image. One of the best opera posters, and best Art Nouveau
posters ever produced " (Swann)
This is a selection from the very rare commemorative portfolio published
by the renowned Italian printer Ricordi in 1914. The portfolio consisted
of 70 lithographic plates (smaller versions) of Ricordi's greatest
posters printed between 1895 and 1914. Many of the images in the series
are so rare that they can be found today in no other format. In the
1870s, Ricordi opened an in-house lithography shop to promote its
operas and sheet music business. Ricordi quickly became the leading
lithographer in Italy and by 1895 was creating posters for other clients
such as Campari, the Milan newspaper Corriere della Sera, and the
Mele Department store of Naples. Under the tutelage of Adolfo Hohenstein,
a brilliant stable of artists emerged at Ricordi. Artists including
Cappiello, Caldanzano, Cavaleri, Dudovich, Laskoff, Metlicovitz and
Mataloni brought Art Nouveau, known as Stile Liberty in Italy, to
a world class level. Much like the famous Maitre
de L'Affiche series created by Cheret
in Paris, this portfolio celebrated the rise of the poster - which
in Italy was almost single-handedly accomplished by Ricordi.
(www.internationalposter.com)
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