14.00 USD
Truly a lovely, compelling, and magical image. Gorgeous shawl, Art Nouveau headdress and winding snake armlet. Hair up in that "neo-classical" style so popular in the Art Nouveau period. The trompe-l'œil (tromp lowee), backdrop is so serene and lovely, and we sometimes forget, in this era of photo-reproduction, that these were beautifully hand painted canvases, often huge, that were sometimes used again and again by the same photographers, so that it becomes a kind of game to identify images by Oricelly, or Reutlinger, for example, that reused the same trompe-l'œill in different portraits of the people they photographed
The Aulete was one who, in ancient Greece, played upon the aulos, that "double flute" instrument she is holding. It is an instrument which was associated, by Plato, with the orgiastic rites of Dionysus, and so fit in well with the celebratory mood of abandon embraced by so many of those who patronized the great music halls of Paris in those years. The image also resonates with a theme that constantly recurs throughout popular art of the period, one which embraces the idea of a return to an imagined pure and simple beauty of an earlier time, when the old gods walked the earth, a time free from the pressures and growing complexity of what, by 1900, was becoming a heavily industrialized society.
Wonderful card in very nice condition, with minor corner and edge wear.
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!