Massimo Buon Mercato

Artist: Aleardo Villa Italian (1865-1906)

Title: Massimo Buon Mercato

Plate: R. 70

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.

Sheet Size: 10 in x 14 in 25.5 cm x 35.5 cm

Price: Temporarily out of stock

I can usually source this poster. If you are interested please contact me. Greg

The posters for Mele often featured a central figure with a hypnotizing gaze; in this case, it is a dapper dandy who beckons our attention. In 1899, Il Mattino ran an article called "Egli vi guarda" (He Looks at You) that wrote: "Know well that 'that man,' sitting quietly on a wooden bench, leaning against a wall... this handsome young man with one leg leaning on the other, black mustache, 'he' has the air of doing nothing, of seeing nothing, of giving himself good weather, waiting for I don't know who and I don't know what, perhaps letting himself live, certainly. Do not trust me, you travelers! Well on your guard!... Wherever you stand, 'that gentleman will guard you'" (Mele, p. 35).

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)