"Sarah Bernhardt as Hamlet"   Lot no. 404

Poster of Sarah Bernhart Playing Hamlet. Paris. Mint condition. Linen-backed.

Sarah Bernhardt's groundbreaking portrayal of Hamlet, performed in French, is masterfully captured in Alphonse Mucha's poster. Mucha emphasizes the play's themes of vengeance and mortality, depicting the ghost of Hamlet's murdered father haunting the ramparts of Elsinore in the background, while the tragic drowned Ophelia, adorned with flowers, rests in a coffin-like panel at Hamlet’s feet. This powerful image marks Mucha's final poster commission that depicts the celebrated French actress. The vintage poster is linen-backed and is in excellent condition.

Bernhardt famously played Hamlet in 1899, becoming the first woman to embody the role on stage and later in a film adaptation. Her bold interpretation challenged conventional gender roles and pushed the boundaries of performance, establishing her as a pioneer in both theater and early cinema.

Exhibitions: Allentown Art Museum, At the Edge: Art of the Fantastic (June 3- September 9, 2013)

Alphonse Mucha was born in Czechoslovakia in 1860 and emigrated to Paris when he was twenty-nine years old.  It was there that he achieved great fame as one of the most important exponents of the Art Nouveau movement.

He created prints, posters (many featuring the legendary actress Sarah Bernhardt), illustrations for books and magazines, and jewelry.  Almost all of his designs were centered on romanticized female figures, highlighted by great flourishes.  It has been said that his popularity came too quickly and he saturated his market with too many products, thereby causing a decline in quality and, eventually, demand.

His early prints, in mint condition, are considered valuable today because they are some of the better representational art of his era and because Mucha earned an important place in European art history.