Date: 1920s
Size: 5.75 x 7.5 inches
Notes: Maquette, carton
Artist: Mauzan (Studio)
About The Poster: First, a definition of terms: a maquette is an original design from which a poster is made.
It is a one-of-a-kind piece by definition - it is the original artwork for a poster. So, while a poster is wonderful (and I sell many) a maquette, to me, is even better because it is the idea and design for the poster.
This Mauzan drawing was purchased in Italy from a collector who was fortunate enough to buy the archives of Mauzan and his design partner Morzenti. It is classically Mauzan - humorous, colorful, and, at least to me, unforgettable.
To the best of my knowledge and research, this poster was never produced, making this drawing/maquette a rare and unusual piece.
I just listed the companion maquette - also for Cinzanino which is precisely the same size but which does not bear the Mauzan Morzenti stamp.
This maquette measures 5.75 x 7.5 inches and is on thin white tracing paper. It has been archived since it was produced and shows no aging, no foxing, no tearing and no wear.
It is perfect!
From Wikipedia:
Achille Lucien Mauzan (Gap, 1883 – Gap, 1952) was born on the French Riviera but moved to Italy in 1905. He was known as a decorative illustrator designing during the Art Deco movement, though he also painted and sculpted. After a period of study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyon, France, Mauzan divided his life between Milan, Paris and Buenos Aires. Between 1920 and 1940, the period between the wars, he used forms and materials under the influence of the avant-garde cubists. He was also an illustrator of posters and postcards. During his career as a poster printer and designer, Mauzan designed over 2,000 posters, using a style known for humor and brilliant colors in advertisements and events in over 1,000 postcard images. He made several essential posters for the Italian film industry in Turin and then went to work at Ricordi music publishing from 1912 to 1917. Later, from 1919 to 1923 he worked at the Magical press (Giovanni Magagnoli). In 1924 in Milan he established with Morzenti his own publishing house, the Mauzan-Morzenti Agency. In 1926 he traveled to Argentina and set up the “Affiches Mauzan” (Mauzan Posters) publishing house where many of his most significant works were created and where he worked until 1932. Within those years, Gino Boccasile, one of his students in Milan, traveled to Argentina at his insistence and set up a studio.