16: ALPHONSE MUCHA POSTER FOR THE SLAV EPIC EXHIBITION 1930

Alphonse Maria Mucha (1860-1939)
(Circa 1930)
The lithograph in colors heightened with gold embossing and framed in two parts to advertise and promote the exhibition 'Slovanska Epopej Historie Slovanstva v Obrazi Alfons Mucha' (The Slav Epic Paintings of the History of the Slavs by Alphonse Mucha), circa 1928, printed by Neubert, Prague .
'Alphonse Mucha considered The Slav Epic, a series of twenty monumental paintings depicting the Slav People, his most important and meaningful artistic and personal accomplishment. The idea of creating large mural paintings from the history of the Slavs as a gift to his nation satisfied his need to prove his talent as a painter, to express the sincere patriotic feelings for his native land and to declare his allegiance to the concept of Pan-Slavic unity' (The Spirit of Art Nouveau p. 96).
The composition of this poster is drawn from the 18th painting in the Slav Epic series incorporating various historical Slavic allegories including, of course, a beautiful maiden for which the model was the artist's daughter Jaroslava seated foreground before the rising three-faced depiction of ancient Slavic god Svantovit.
The text panel for this poster in separate frame lists the exhibition details of the second exhibition held in the city of Brno, Czechoslovakia in 1930. The more commonly seen version of this poster was for the first showing at Prague's Trade Fair Palace in 1928, which debuted the murals gifted to the city of Prague.
Image size 46.5 x 30, sheet measures 49.5 x 33, the frame is 56.75 x 40 inches. 'Slovanska' image size 22 x 29.75, sheet size 23.75 x 33, frame measures 32.5 x 40 inches.
Very good to fine condition, outstanding color, no mounted or backed, apparently the full sheet with wide margins, very clean with the exception of one area of discoloration on the text panel, no damage or repair, extremely minor creases throughout the field of the text panel, none in the upper image.
Provenance: The Estate of Robert Allan Haas
$8,000 - $10,000