Alphonse Mucha - Ilsee Prinzessin von Tripolis - 1901

Alphonse (Alfons) Mucha is probably the most well-known Art Nouveau artist from the German-speaking region, alongside Gustav Klimt. His greatest successes were in Paris, with theater and advertising posters and newspaper illustrations. Art Nouveau book projects by Mucha are relatively rare and mostly feature miniature versions (e.g., Clio).

The present 'Ilsee, Princess of Tripoli' is the only large-format book production featuring original lithographs by Mucha. It was published in 1901, at the height of Mucha's Parisian glory days. Mucha had begun with stage decorations in Vienna and Munich and moved to Paris in 1889 for the World's Fair. There, he achieved his artistic breakthrough in 1894 with a poster for the then world-famous stage artist Sarah Bernhardt. His posters became so popular in Paris that almost all of the freely displayed ones were stolen by art enthusiasts within a short time.

This book is exceptionally beautifully designed. Every page is illustrated by Mucha, making each page a small Mucha artwork in itself (reference: Mucha Museum in Prague). Knowing how expensive original Mucha works are today, a book with 132 full-page original lithographs by Mucha in large format is certainly worth its price. I deliberately photographed not only the main pages but also a few normal pages.

The book is also still in the very rare original slipcase and the original cover folder from the publisher. It is only equipped with a paperback cover and bound in loose saddle stitching, as it was still common among collectors at the time to purchase valuable books as pages and have them bound privately.

I am selling a large part of my private erotic collection here because I am raising funds for the renovation and expansion of a baroque manor house in Thuringia.

My beautiful wife and I want to stylishly furnish holiday apartments between Weimar and the Kyffhäuser Mountains in Baroque and Art Nouveau styles. Here, you can experience special holidays. Each apartment will have a small library. In the courtyard, a farmhouse garden with historic fruit varieties, raised beds for your own vegetables and herbs, and lots of colorful flowers and shrubs for wild bees and butterflies are being created. Our guests can relax here by the pool. There will be hammocks, swing benches, and a large fire and barbecue area. And if you like, you can try delicious Palatschinken pancakes for breakfast or enjoy our legendary soups and Borscht creations.

We have 1001 secret tips for you for excursions in the area. Upon request, we organize trips to special power spots: Goethe, Schiller, Luther, and even the old Thuringian landgraves are very present in our region, yet Thuringia, especially in the neighboring Erfurt-Weimar-Jena area, is also very modern.

We are happy to include an overnight stay voucher in the book so you can get to know our heartfelt project.