Date: 1914 (original, larger sized poster printed in 1902)
Size: 10.25 x 14 inches
Artist: Adolfo Hohenstein
About the artist: Adolfo Hohenstein was a German painter, advertiser, illustrator, set designer and costume designer. Hohenstein is considered the father of Italian poster art and an exponent of the Stile Liberty, the Italian Art Nouveau. Together with Leonetto Cappiello, Giovanni Mario Mataloni, Leopoldo Metlicovitz and Marcello Dudovich, he is considered one of the most important Italian poster designers.
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.
This poster was originally created to promote the opera's world premiere at Teatro alla Scala in Milan in 1902. True to the Stile Liberty (Italian Art Nouveau) movement, the poster relies on powerful symbolism. It presents a striking, allegorical personification of Germany, capturing the dramatic spirit of Franchetti's lyric drama.
