BERTOZZI MAUZAN POSTER

The story told in this advertising poster for Bertozzi Parmigiano Reggiano starts with the humorous, masterful caricature of three judges inspecting a wheel of cheese. Their whopping noses tell us that they are the pickiest of the picky when it comes to smelling and hence judging cheese. Their awe-struck expressions of delight, complete with creased foreheads and exaggerated bug-eyes, illustrate the excitement and joy that each one feels when smelling, viewing and tasting this clearly superior cheese.

The object of their admiration and the center of this engaging tableau is, of course, the wheel of Bertozzi Parmesan Cheese, portrayed reverentially with one perfect slice atop it and one perfect bite taken out of the slice (obviously by the judges). The unmistakable message here is that this cheese is so good that it deserves to be worshiped; the judges all agree, so it must be true.

Achille Lucien Mauzan (1883-1952), the noted graphic designer who created this engaging poster, was born in Gap, France. He worked mainly in Italy and South America during his career. An excellent draftsman with an active imagination and a well-honed sense of humor, he devoted most of his career to producing advertising posters for a wide variety of goods and services.

This vintage stone lithograph, with its amusing yet powerful images and the small details that Mauzan includes (like the wart on one judge’s nose), is in a class by itself - loved by collectors, cheese aficionados and all who like original art on their walls that makes them smile.

Condition:  A