Lithograph of Alphonse Mucha’s “La Plume et La Primevere”

Mucha’s Primrose poster is a true design masterpiece, showcasing a rich interplay of botanical and historical elements. The top border features opium poppies, while the second is lined with Cobea flowers, also known as the cup-and-saucer vine. The aureole surrounding the central figure is adorned with hollyhock blossoms. The female figure wears her hair in a low coiffure, and delicately holds a candelabra primrose to her nose, as if savoring its fragrance. In Mucha’s Plume poster, an elegant woman with a high coiffure holds a goose quill and laurel branches. The aureole surrounding the central figure is based on the famous rose window of the Cathedral of Chartres. The shape of the quill and how she holds it is a reference to the holding of palm branches by saints in Christian icons of Saints. Instead of the meaning of martyrdom, Tiffany’s chosen virtues are more secular, the quill representing knowledge and the laurels a Greek symbol of poetry. The top border of the poster is similarly adorned with opium poppies, while the second border features anemones.