Pal (Jean de Paléologue, 1860-1942) Cycles Clément.... Lot 19

Pal (Jean de Paléologue, 1860-1942) Cycles Clément. 1898. SIZE: 44 x 62 3/4 in./111.6 x 159.3 cm PRINTER: Caby & Chardin, Paris DESCRIPTION: To proclaim the supreme superiority of Clément Cycles to the world, Pal has spared no symbol. Many French cycle posters have featured this type of larger-than-life goddess, barely wrapped in diaphanous linens, striding like a colossus upon Paris. Few, if any, have a Gallic Rooster as a headdress––she's even had to take off the victorious laurels in order to crown herself avec le coq gaulois... while her Roman sandals bear the Wings of Hermes. By her feet, on the horizon, is a Parisian panorama. You'll notice that on the left, Montmartre hill is missing its Sacré-Coeur; the basilica was only completed in 1914. (Art Nouveau; Bicycles)