No. 03 — Alphonse Mucha
Gismonda
| Artist | Alphonse Mucha, 1860–1939 |
|---|---|
| Date | 1894 |
| Medium | colour lithograph poster (approx. 216 × 74 cm) |
| City | Paris |
| Location | Made for the Théâtre de la Renaissance, Paris; impressions in major print collections including the Mucha Museum, Prague, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London |
Commissioned at the end of December 1894 for Sarah Bernhardt's revival of Victorien Sardou's Gismonda at the Théâtre de la Renaissance, this near-life-size lithograph shows the actress in Byzantine costume holding a palm frond in the Easter procession scene.
Its elongated format, muted palette and halo-like mosaic arch made Mucha famous overnight and secured him a six-year contract with Bernhardt.
The play itself had premiered on 31 October 1894.
A tall pale panel: a crowned actress in Byzantine robes raising a palm against a mosaic arch of Byzantine lettering.
The companion piece
A tall pale panel: a crowned actress in Byzantine robes raising a palm against a mosaic arch of Byzantine lettering. The algorithm runs live above; when WebGL sleeps, the drawn still takes its place.
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