Beautiful Alphonse Mucha—Printemps vintage mirror featuring a glamorous lady in elegant clothing, vibrant blues and yellows that really stand out in the design. She is showing the marriage of music and nature while playing her harp. There is a section of detailed birds with matching tones and a wonderful floral background. Around the picture is a geometric border with an intertwining pattern.
Great darker-coloured wooden frame.
Excellent vintage condition with few minor signs of authentic patina.
Height: 90cm
Length: 63cm
Width: 3cm
Art Nouveau emerged at the end of the 19th century in opposition to the official world of academic art. Seeking to break from tradition, a new generation of artists rejected the prevalent taste for highly ornamental objects that reworked earlier styles. Inspired by the unpredictability of nature and the vivid colours and bold forms found in Japanese art, they began producing organic forms embellished with sinuous curves, naturalistic hues, and daringly asymmetrical forms. This new style found a broad and largely supportive audience when it was promoted at the Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris. Yet its popularity ultimately led to the style’s demise. Interested in the handcrafted quality of their work, most Art Nouveau designers avoided mass production. However, the increasing demand for their work drove many to create cheaper works, abandoning the movement’s original ideals. Although short-lived, Art Nouveau’s efforts to make a deliberate and decisive break from the past would become a hallmark of modern art.
Alfons Maria Mucha (24 July 1860 – 14 July 1939), known internationally as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech painter, illustrator, and graphic artist. Living in Paris during the Art Nouveau period, he was widely known for his distinctly stylised and decorative theatrical posters, particularly those of Sarah Bernhardt. He produced illustrations, advertisements, decorative panels, and designs, which became among the best-known images of the period.