Date: 1914 (original, larger sized poster printed in 1912)
Size: 10.25 x 14 inches, Image: 7.2 x 10.25 inches
Artist: Giuseppe Palanti
About the artist: Giuseppe Palanti attended the School of Applied Arts of the Castello Sforzesco, where he won the Zogheb competition, obtaining a prize trip to Paris. He subsequently studied at the Brera Academy, under the guidance of Mentessi, Tallone and Bignami, becoming its director in 1914.
About this piece: This beautiful poster belongs to the Portfolio "Gli Avvisi delle Officine G. Ricordi e C. Milano" (The Advertisements of the G. Ricordi & Co. Graphics Works, Milan) a famous and rare collection published around 1914, inspired by the famous French publication Les Maîtres de l'Affiche. The complete collection contains 70 color lithographic plates (chromolithographs) in a reduced size format. It represents an extraordinary testament to the golden age of the Italian advertising poster and Art Nouveau (Liberty style) graphics, closely tied to the world of opera and the Ricordi music publishing house.
In this poster, Palanti framed the advertisement as a dramatic production titled "Giovanni Frangipani", written by U. Bonmartini. This "storytelling" method was a highly popular technique in early Italian advertising to capture the public's imagination.
