Of Menus and Mythology: Late Nineteenth-Century Print Graphics

This early collection of graphic designs by German artist Franz von Stuck (1863–1928) features images intended for menu cards, wine lists, and other food service applications. Although produced for commercial use, the artist's excellent draftsmanship, clean graphic designs, and imaginative use of mythological subjects signal his later development as a leader of the Symbolist movement.
Stuck had just begun to exhibit his paintings during the 1890 publication of this portfolio. The artist was soon to become a founder of the Munich Succession movement, and these graphics exhibit the trained hand of a professional and a foreshadowing of his future work. The images abound in playful cherubs, grinning grotesques, amorous couples in period costume, and other motifs characteristic of the Symbolist preoccupation with eroticism and decadence. Reproduced directly from a rare volume that has been out of print for over a century, 50 plates include line art and employ multiple colors. This new edition offers a splendid combination of traditional academic work with mythic themes and late nineteenth-century graphics that will inspire modern designers, illustrators, and fans of period design work.