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"In one of the finest works by the prolific Metlicovitz, a French perfume is advertised with a nude sylph in a reverent pose, enraptured with the fragrance from a small vial which "is so potent that the artist imagines it attracts even butterflies. How could a woman resist such an appealing message?" (Gold, p.7).

In the study of the artist in Milan. 1904

"One of Italy's most prolific posterists, Metlicovitz was born in Trieste, and appears to  have become a painter and a portraitist without the benefit of any formal training in art. In 1891, he came to Milan to join Ricordi as a lithographic trainee, and proved to be such a quick study that he went on to become technical director within a year. He was a very versatile artist…" (Rennert)

This is a selection from the very rare commemorative portfolio published by the renowned Italian printer Ricordi in 1914. The portfolio consisted of 70 lithographic plates (smaller versions) of Ricordi's greatest posters printed between 1895 and 1914. Many of the images in the series are so rare that they can be found today in no other format. In the 1870s, Ricordi opened an in-house lithography shop to promote its operas and sheet music business. Ricordi quickly became the leading lithographer in Italy and by 1895 was creating posters for other clients such as Campari, the Milan newspaper Corriere della Sera, and the Mele Department store of Naples. Under the tutelage of Adolfo Hohenstein, a brilliant stable of artists emerged at Ricordi. Artists including Cappiello, Caldanzano, Cavaleri, Dudovich, Laskoff, Metlicovitz and Mataloni brought Art Nouveau, known as Stile Liberty in Italy, to a world class level. Much like the famous Maitre de L'Affiche series created by Cheret in Paris, this portfolio celebrated the rise of the poster - which in Italy was almost single-handedly accomplished by Ricordi. (www.internationalposter.com)