Artist: Adolfo Hohenstein
Condition: B/B- *
Dimensions: 36 x 77.75 in. / 91.4 x 197.5 cm.
Circa: 1901
Linen Backed
* See Condition Grading section for further details
The poster was printed in three sheets and folded; there is restoration along the fold lines, most noticeable along the middle vertical line; the linen has been trimmed to the margins and slightly into them in some areas; there is some staining in image; some restored surface paper losses and abrasions; there are corner tack holes; despite its defects, this wonderful art nouveau poster should display very nicely once framed.
A remarkable early Campari poster and a significant piece of Italian advertising art. Hohenstein, one of the founding figures of the Italian Liberty style, depicts two St. Bernard rescue dogs in an Alpine scene, one carrying a Cordial Campari barrel around its neck in place of the traditional brandy cask. The draftsmanship is exceptional: the dogs rendered with real painterly skill, a ghostly hooded figure looming in the snowy background behind them.
Hohenstein preceded Leonetto Cappiello as the dominant voice in Italian poster design, and original examples of his work from this period are genuinely rare. This gorgeous poster is one for serious collectors of Italian art nouveau and early advertising ephemera.