Címlap - for the periodical Magyar Iparművészet (Hungarian Applied Art) 1901/1-2.

Library – Rarities

Accession Nr.: KT-P 57.4.1-2.0.1
Artist/Maker:
Maróti (Rintel), Géza (1875 - 1941)
Place of production: Budapest
Dimensions:
height: 31,5 cm
width: 24 cm

The young Géza Maróti (Rintel) designed a cover page for the periodical Magyar Iparművészet in 1901, one year after he opened his own architectural sculpture workshop. The dense intertwining of peacock feathers and ears of wheat is quite reminiscent of his decorations on numerous Art Nouveau buildings in Budapest. The artist’s crest with three blank shields and a hammer inside a laurel wreath was given a central position below the title, and the “eyes” of the peacock feathers also focus attention on this emblem. Knowing the artist’s later versatility (as an architect, sculptor, painter, and applied artist), the assertive use of a crest that represented the varied artistic branches together is justified. The mark of the designer, who in 1901 was still using his birth name of Rintel, can be seen in the lower, left-hand corner of the peacock-feather ornament. The horizontal lines alongside and between the words comprised of restrained Art Nouveau lettering echo the horizontal lines of the radiating heart below the text.