Alfons Mucha – JOB Cigarette Papers – Rare Embossed Lithographed Advertising Cardboard, Spanish Version, 1896

Exceptional Art Nouveau advertising cardboard after the famous JOB design by Alfons Mucha, created for JOB cigarette papers in 1896.

This composition, one of Mucha’s most iconic advertising images, depicts the famous young blonde woman smoking, her eyes closed, holding a lit cigarette between her fingers. The smoke, treated in arabesque lines, merges with her abundant golden hair, a visual hallmark of Mucha’s style. The Mucha Foundation describes this design as one of his best-known advertising posters, published in several formats and editions for international markets.

This example is distinguished by its cardboard support, its colour lithographic printing, its embossing / relief decoration, and its gold highlights, which give it a luxurious appearance, very different from a simple paper poster. The composition is framed by a wide geometric border with triangular motifs and ornamental corners, in a spirit close to Byzantine mosaic, a decorative effect also noted by the Mucha Foundation for this work.

The image features the large green JOB monogram in the background, the repeated motifs of the brand, and the central female figure, whose hair occupies almost the entire surface of the image. Mucha’s signature appears at the lower right. In the lower margin, the inscription of the lithographic printer can be seen: “Lit. Hermenegildo Miralles – Barcelona”, indicating a rare version intended for the Spanish market.

The Bibliothèque nationale de France preserves and records a Spanish variant of this design under the title Job – ofrecido por los fabricantes del papel de fumar “Job”, attributed to Mucha, dated 1896 and described as a colour lithograph.

Our example, however, appears to belong to a rarer form of presentation, on embossed advertising cardboard, with relief and gold effects, probably intended for counter display, shop-window presentation, or prestigious promotional use.

This Spanish version printed in Barcelona is particularly sought after. According to the information provided, and subject to documentary confirmation, only a few examples — three or four — are believed to be known in collections. It is therefore a piece of great rarity for collectors of Mucha, Art Nouveau, early advertising, and JOB memorabilia.

Condition

Good overall state of preservation for an advertising piece dating from 1896. The colours remain present, with attractive gold effects and still-visible embossing. Some normal traces of age and use are visible: minor rubbing, slight surface wear, marks to the corners and edges, and tiny localized chips or craquelure. The piece retains a very strong decorative presence.

Keywords

Alfons Mucha, Alphonse Mucha, JOB, cigarette papers, Art Nouveau, antique poster, advertising cardboard, lithograph, Hermenegildo Miralles, Barcelona, Spanish version, 1896, early advertising, Mucha JOB, blonde woman smoking.

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