ONCE UPON A TIME II, 1904

ONCE UPON A TIME II, 1904

Joseph Maria Olbrich (1867-1908)

Lithograph

Signed on plate

H 23,1 x W 21,7 cm (sheet)

H 14,5 x W 14,4 cm (matrix)

Series: 1904 Es war einmal

Co-founder of the Viennese Secession, architect Joseph Maria Olbrich (1867-1908) had a strong influence on the development of the architectural Art Nouveau style through works and is mostly recognized for the Secession building (1898).

Olbrich’s lithograph depicts Princess Elisabeth of Hesse’s Playhouse, gifted by her father Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig who commissioned Joseph Maria Olbrich in 1902 for the project. With its ornamental design from the furniture to decorative pieces, the entire complex is a self-contained work of art.  Beyond the projection of the playhouse, Olbrich dedicated the series Es Was Einmal ("Once Upon a Time") (1904) to the princess, who died at a young age.