Description:
Scarce Art Deco poster maquette from 1934. This delicate, lovely painted artwork was created for a face powder brand in Hungary.
Throughout history face powder was used for several reasons and was made of a variety of materials. First the Ancient Egyptian women used a mixture of chalk or clay to avoid evil spirits, later rise flour was started to be used in the Far East for beauty reasons. In the 20th century the demand was higher and higher for rice flour as theatre actors needed face powder for their makeup. The first compressed powder was invented by an English company called Laughton & Sons.
This artwork was designed after the product had started to spread the world in the new form. The version which can be seen here contained sulphur. It is a quite harsh chemical element, no wonder that later in the 1950s the brand already advertised the product as for „greasy skin with zits”.
The artwork is a beautiful Art Deco design. The shapes are flat, the forms are geometric and the lines are sleek. The figure is a well-drawn, mature and precious element of the composition. Look at the hand in the pose: the slender fingers and the tender gesture are typical of the era. The stylized representation of the face and of the hair has a pretty Art Deco character as well.
The Sulfamil face powder can be seen at the bottom, to the right. The original packaging contained a little green oval-shaped box with golden edges. It is interesting that this graceful figure is more emphasized in the design than the product itself. This tendency was more likely earlier, during the turn of the 20th century and the first decades. Although the representation of the product is a bit rough, this feature gives a certain charm to the artwork. All in all, this poster maquette is a worthy piece of art and an adorable relic.
