Sarah Bernhardt (La Plume)
1896 · Colour lithograph (poster) · Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris
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About this work
- Artist
- Alphonse Mucha (1860–1939)
- Year
- 1896
- Medium
- Colour lithograph (poster)
- Original size
- 77 × 57 cm
- Collection
- Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris (department of Prints and Photography)
- Movement
- Art Nouveau
Sarah Bernhardt in profile, crowned with lilies and wearing the pearl collar of La Princesse Lointaine, is set inside a circle of stars against a mosaic ground, her name lettered around the rim. Mucha designed the image in 1896 as a poster for the journée Sarah Bernhardt, the celebration of the actress organised by the magazine La Plume on 9 December 1896, and it was sold as a decorative panel afterwards. It is his most concentrated portrait of her, the head alone inside the halo. Printed by F. Champenois, Paris. The impression reproduced is in the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
This full-bleed edition prints the work edge to edge from a high-resolution scan of the original, very slightly cropped (a few percent at most) to fit the sheet. The gallery edition shows the whole work, uncropped. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
A profile head in a circle of stars, in muted gold and violet, for a bedroom, dressing room or hallway at 18×24 or 24×32 in thin black or dark wood, no mat. It suits a white or dusty violet wall and pairs with Gismonda.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Art Nouveau painting
- Era
- 19th century (1896)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Mood
- decorative, sophisticated
- Rooms
- bedroom, hallway or entryway, living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, anniversary, her, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 18×24. Prints at 12×16, 18×24, 24×32 in — 12×16 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 18×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×32 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. Printed edge to edge: a slim black or dark wood frame right to the image, or let the canvas wrap do the framing. Also available gallery-wrapped on canvas, ready to hang with no frame.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Sarah Bernhardt (La Plume) in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Sarah Bernhardt (La Plume) painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
A fine-art print
The same artwork as a clean fine-art print — the image shown large with a minimal caption.
