Date: 1914 (original, larger sized poster printed in 1905)
Size: 10.25 x 14 inches
Artist: Gian Emilio Malerba
About the artist: Gian Emilio Malerba was an Italian painter and illustrator, one of the founders of the Novecento Italiano in Milan. He initially created works in a Liberty or Art Nouveau style.
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.
The poster advertises Zolfi (sulfur) processed by the company Poggi & Astengo, based in Savona and La Spezia. In the early 20th century, diluted sulfur was an essential agricultural product sprayed onto vineyard grapes to prevent parasites and disease. Instead of showing a technical or industrial scene, Malerba utilizes a classic Art Nouveau trope: a country woman (contadina) holding a basket overflowing with ripe grapes.
