Head of a Girl

The year 1900 was marked in Paris by the International Exhibition(Exposition universelle et internationale de Paris). Held from 15 April to 12 November, it was a celebration of the past century’s achievements and the potential for their further development into the next. The official exhibition announcement was made in 1892, the year Mucha began to enjoy moderate success as a book illustrator. The budget for this massive enterprise was finally decided in 1896, and after that the preparations progressed in full swing, in parallel with the growth of Mucha’s artistic reputation. In 1897, Mucha was fully integrated into the Parisian art world with his successful one-man exhibition at the Galerie de la Bodinière followed by a major show at the Salon des Cent.La Plumemagazine dedicated a special issue to this exhibition and Mucha was a ‘hot’ topic within the city’s artistic circle.

1900年，巴黎舉辦了舉世矚目的萬國博覽會（即世界博覽會）。博覽會從4月15日開到11月12日，展示了19世紀的技術成就和20世紀持續發展的潛能。博覽會發布正式公告是在1892年，這一年穆夏在插畫領域嶄露頭角。1896年，這場大型活動的預算終于敲定，準備工作隨之全面展開，同一時期，穆夏的藝術聲譽日隆。1897年，穆夏在布吉尼爾畫廊成功舉辦個人畫展，由此完全融入巴黎藝術界，隨后又在德斯陳特沙龍舉辦了大型畫展。《羽毛》雜志為沙龍畫展出版了一期專刊，穆夏也成了巴黎藝術圈的“焦點”人物。

[2] Over the next two years both Parisian firms and government officials approached Mucha with commissions for projects for the 1900 exposition. The commissions included not only advertising posters and other graphic works, but also the installation of display stands and the design of exhibition halls, which provided him with an opportunity to work with a threedimensional space.

[3] This bust,Head of a Girl(Bronze, silver and parcel gilt, 29cm ×22cm × 10cm, 1900),was commissioned by the famous Parisian perfumer Houbigant for the company’s stand at the International Exhibition in Paris in 1900.

[4] The soft fl oral fragrances of Houbigant perfumes are personified in a meditative young woman, wearing a tall arched crown decorated with gems and silver lilies.

[5] Although the form of this bust was inspired by Renaissance sculpture,Mucha chose to use modern silver and parcel gilding techniques to create striking effects.

[6] At the exhibition, the bust was installed high above a wreath of irises,roses and violets, in the middle of the presentation cases. ■

[2]其后兩年，巴黎各家公司和政府官員紛紛來找穆夏為1900年博覽會定制作品。委托定制的不僅有廣告招貼等平面美術作品，還有展臺擺設和展廳設計，這也讓他有機會在三維空間施展才能。

[3]半身像《女孩頭像》（青銅及白銀鎏金雕塑，29厘米×22厘米×10厘米，1900年）是巴黎著名的香水制造商烏比岡委托定制的，擺放在1900年巴黎萬國博覽會該公司展臺上。

[4]穆夏以沉思的年輕女子來表現烏比岡香水的柔和花香，女子頭戴高高的拱冠，上飾寶石和銀百合。

[5]雕像的樣式靈感源自文藝復興時期的雕塑，但穆夏采用了現代白銀鎏金技術，呈現效果令人耳目一新。

[6]博覽會上，這座半身像被安置在諸多展品中央，一個由鳶尾花、玫瑰和紫羅蘭編制的花環將其高高托起。 □