18.00 USD
One of our favorite, and most magical, subgenres of "Lovely Lady" postcards has to be that of the marvelous maenad. These are somewhat idealized, and presumably toned down, versions of those wild maidens of ancient Greece, who in their worship of Dionysus, the god of wine and sensual abandon, got up to all kinds of mischief. The maenad, as an image, was practically the poster girl of La Belle Epoque, expressing that rich, earthy, "joie de vivre," which has come to be seen as so representative of the era. When listing maenads, we're not all that particular about whether the model is depicted as a woodland sprite, a pagan priestess, or if they're just a couple of Belle Epoque chorus girls unwinding after a tough dress rehearsal. If they're wearing grapes, grapevines, animal skins, or any of the other accoutrements no self respecting maenad could do without, for us, they fit the bill. Welcome to the Bacchanal!!! :)
Great Art Nouveau image of stage performer Myriel in classical attire with cymbals. Produced by Leopold Reutlinger of Paris, circa 1905, this card was one of a series representing celebrants of the Bacchanal! This same card, rather than bearing the title Myriel, was often titled Bacchante Aux Cymbales! There was another cymbal image in the series as well, with the model in a different pose. Also one of Myriel upending a ceramic jug with pour spout, presumably filled with wine, titled Bacchante Buvant, which simply means "drinking," and yet another titled Bacchante Au Thyrse, in which she holds up with reverence the "Thyrse," which beyond its modern botanical meaning, was a staff topped with a pine cone, often decorated with ivy, and carried by Bacchus (Ivy incidentally, was according to the late English poet and historian Robert Graves, one of the key ingredients used by them in brews to drive them to a frenzy. Let's definitely NOT try this at home ;).
Series of postcards were often produced in groups of six, and if that was the case here, there are still two cards in this series we've yet to see, but should you be interested in completing the set, this one would make a fine beginning!
Lovely unposted condition. Please examine our high res scans for detail.
Postage is for first class shipping in a secure photo mailer, and we happily combine shipping on all paper goods. If you purchase two cards, we will refund the postage on the second card, and when you purchase three or more cards from us at the same time, your shipping will be entirely free, except for international orders which, because of sudden increases in international shipping rates will still be charged one card's shipping fees on orders of three or more.
And please come visit our blog at:
redpoulaine.blogspot.com
where we post biographical and historical tidbits, images of cards and photographs for sale, some already sold but remembered fondly, related images of historical interest and sometimes even images of items that have not yet arrived in the shop, but that are expected to arrive soon, as well as coupon codes, links to other related sites, and more!