Lot 122

Adolfo Hohenstein, Fiammiferi Senza Fosforo. 1905.

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Adolfo Hohenstein, Fiammiferi Senza Fosforo. 1905.

Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000

Current Bid: $3,000

(1 Bid)

by Swann Auction Galleries
July 30, 2026 12:00 PM EDT
Live Auction
104 East 25th Street
New York, NY, US 10010

Adolfo Hohenstein
1854-1928
Fiammiferi Senza Fosforo. 1905.

Condition A-: expertly-replaced losses and overpainting in margins; minor restoration in image.

Preview On Your Wall.

Born in Russia to German parents, Hohenstein studied art in Vienna before settling in Milan. He began working with Ricordi, the great Italian publishing company in 1889, designing sheet music covers for operas. Shortly thereafter, he became art director of the firm and began to design posters. Poster artists such as Dudovich, Mauzan and Metlicovitz worked under Hohenstein, and their posters reflect his influence as one of the masters of the Golden Age of Italian posters, "from obvious stylistic floral influences of French Art Nouveau and the German Jugendstil" (Manifesti Italiano, p. 114).

This image, employing vivid colors and allegorical characters, is typical of his superb handling of even the most mundane items. The poster, promoting a brand of safety matches, is a brilliant graphic treatment playing with light and shadow effects, not to mention the larger moral themes of the forces of light banishing the forces of darkness.

This is the larger format.

Weill p. 85 (var), Manifesto p. 144. Manifesto Italiano 139, Menegazzi 340.

  • Dimensions: 60x33¼ inches, 152½x84½ cm. Doyen di L. Simondetti, Turin.
  • Condition: Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.

    Condition reports and additional images are provided as a courtesy and should be used by you to aid in the formation of your own opinion regarding condition. All material is sold subject to Swann's standard Terms and Conditions of Sale as published in our catalogues and posted on our website, and include the following terms: (1) all property is sold "as-is"; and (2) works cannot be returned on the basis of condition.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $149 $10
$150 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $5,999 $200
$6,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 $499,999 $20,000
$500,000 + $50,000