Phébus. ca. 1899.

Artist: PAL (Jean de Paléologue, 1860-1942)
Size: 42 3/4 x 56 3/4 in./108.5 x 144.2 cm
Condition: B-/ Slight tears and stains, largely at edges. Restored loss at lower right corner.
Printer: Imp. Paul Dupont, Paris
Reference: Ref (all var): Petite Reine, 28; Collectionneur, p. 232; Pierrot, 69; PAI-LXXIX, 48
Key Words: Art Nouveau; Bicycles; Artist: Pal

Phébus. ca. 1899.
The perennially lovelorn commedia dell'arte clown Pierrot finally turns the tables on Columbina: he's speeding off on Phébus' motorized tricycle, bidding a cheerful adieu to his beau and her bicyclette. By 1899, the "bicycle craze" of the previous decade, with all the overtures toward greater female independence, was morphing into the Automobile Age, and this poster finds the Phébus brand in the midst of this transition. With its hints of Theseus abandoning Ariadne on Naxos (we, as Dionysus, are here to comfort her), this is a magnificent work of bold, tender, and curious emotions.