The Thirst by Wilhelm List, Plate 52 from Gerlach's Allegorien, 1897
By Wilhelm List
Wilhelm List, a friend and follower of Gustav Klimt, was a founder and leading member of the Vienna Secession and contributor to its official magazine, Ver Sacrum. List's plate 'The Thirst' for Gerlach's Allegorien features a figure seated amidst flourishing grape vines, quenching her companion's thirst with their juice.
Allegorien-Neue Folge was a serialized folio published in installments between 1895 and 1900. Martin Gerlach, its publisher, was inspired by the rise of modernist design in Vienna and selected those who were demonstrating a command of the style to contribute works to the series and selected the most exciting and innovative artists of the region to contribute works to the series, including Gustav Klimt, Koloman Moser, and Carl Otto Czeschka. Each plate explores a different theme or collection of topics, such as dance, astronomy, electricity, and graphic arts, which brought a new aesthetic of design to the traditional allegory genre.
Lithograph of Wilhelm Franz List's Der Durst (The Thirst), published as Plate 52 in Gerlach's Allegorien by Gerlach & Schenk, Vienna. This work is printed with dense, shimmering gold ink details throughout the main image and design element.
Paper measures 17 3/8 x 13 13/16. Very minor abrasion in lower left corner, light bend in upper right margin, extremely minor discoloration mark in lower margin. Image is pristine and will frame brilliantly. This artwork arrives accompanied by a certificate of authenticity.
Notable museum collections featuring works by Wilhelm List include: Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); Musée des beaux-arts de Quimper, France; Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, Japan