Neue Motive (New Motifs). Portfolio with Twenty Jugendstil/Art Deco Plates, the Set of Metal Printing Plates with Hand-Colored Proof Plates and Three Drawings. The collection contains all of the parts leading to the printing of Bohla's 2nd color portfolio of motifs from the natural world, including metal printing plates for the earlier portfolio. [TWO HAND-COLORED SIGNED PROOF PLATES]
Passau, Brünn: Verlag Neue Motive, ca. 1920. First edition. Quarto Portfolio. (1) 20 plates. Original gray quarter cloth over color illustrated paper-covered board with black lettering on cover and decorative back cover. Printed introduction pasted to inside front cover.
"Neue Motive" was printed on Bohla's behest but was not distributed for sale. Our collection contains the production material including more than 300 metal printing plates, for this and the earlier edition, some original artwork, printed proof plates, variant hand-colored, marked proof plates of plate one and the original portfolio with 20 lithographic plates in color, title plate and printed introduction, pasted to inside front cover.
When Bohla began his second portfolio, Neue Motive, it was meant to become an inspiration for the viewer and entice him or her to be active and creative in this field. The backdrop for this work is stated in the introduction by the author: "The study of nature serves as foundation from the outset. Not to copy nature, as a trained eye sees it, was the intention, something different could be created only when considering the form of the presentation. The objective is to create studies in a beautiful rendition, the extraction of decorative forms while applying complete freedom, recording the essence while omitting all ornateness is the general guideline. Starting with the choice of motifs diligence has to be applied. Useful native plants and animals are plentiful in nature. You can find them. Magnifiers and mirrors might disclose hidden allures/charms. Happy and fresh colors are to be used. Tasteful lines and motifs emphasize a certain timelessness." (Introduction)
1. Portfolio "Neue Motive" with twenty plates of designs in color lithography.
2. Nineteen variant hand-colored copies of plate one, sixteen of them on heavy paper, two of these signed by Bohla with some showing editorial markings, and three additional hand-colored copies of plate number one on thin coated paper.
3. Original metal printing plates for all 20 plates of the portfolio housed in their original wooden box (12 1/4 x 13 1/4 x 8 3/4"). The box has hinges affixed to a movable wooden lid, latches to close box, and thirty slots to separate printing plates with heavy cardboard sheets. Two additional boxes with small metal details of printing plates in one, and metal ornamental motifs attached to wooden blocks in the other. Metal printing plates from previously printed editions of his work.
4. Fifty-one ink plates (proof sheets) of variant motifs in different colors, printed to glossy plastic, solid white and glassine paper, in three folders housed in pink portfolio.
5. Three pages, one with penciled designs of ornaments (11 1/2 x 8 1/4"), one with hand-colored printed design and pencil designs (4 1/2 x 5 1/2"), and one hand-colored printed ornament with penciled additions (3 3/4 x 1 3/4").
Alois Bohla's unpublished work of Studies of Nature with decorative motifs and suggestions for a tasteful selection of colors for schools and various kinds of commercial application. The designs in this collection are similar to his first publication "Neue Motive für flächendeckende Verzierung" - in part based on the same botanical patterns of nature - this work is more abstract and is broadened by the addition of modern animal motifs. The transition from Jugendstil to early Art Deco is apparent in these decorative plates. Top of box detached with hinges partly missing. Box in overall fair, portfolio, and manuscript in very good to very good+, plates in fine condition. fair to fine. Item #44680
Alois Bohla (1864–?) was educated at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Vienna from 1883–1888. In an 1888 a report of the Austrian Central Commission for Statistics on restructuring of the Kunstgewerbeschule Brünn, Alois Bohla is mentioned as one of the graduates to have found employment at the weaving mill of Norbert Langer & Söhne in Vienna. The mill had been founded in 1792 and was awarded the privilege to incorporate the "k. k. Adler" (Royal insignia) in 1821. A Langer & Söhne branch in Vienna was opened in 1822. Bohla was appointed Professor at the k.u.k. Lehranstalt für Textilindustrie in Brno (Brünn) in 1907, where he had headed the artist workshop. The magazine "Textile Kunst und Industrie" mentions Bohla as a artistic staff member for the artists Peter Behrens, Hans Christiansen and Johann Vincenz Cissarz in 1922.
Bohla's work was part of an exhibition at the Villa Stuck, Munich, in 2010, Maß und Freiheit: Textilkunst im Jugendstil von Behrens bis Olbrich, presenting Jugendstil textile art from distinguished artist like Peter Behrens, Hans Christiansen, Otto Eckmann, Joseph Maria Olbrich, and others. The catalog by Barbara Hardtwig documents this extraordinary exhibition showing rarely presented designs developed in major centers of the textile industry, focussing on table cloths and napkins covering some 20 years of work up to 1914. During Bohla's tenure at Norbert Langer & Söhne, the company expanded internationally including British designers Walter Crane, Ethel Campbell and Wilfred Wetherell while promoting textile art via various contests. Award-winning works were exhibited at the Kunstgewerbe Museum in Vienna and acquired by Langer & Söhne. The jury, consisting of known representatives of textile crafts, emphasized the importance of technical knowledge in this field while, at the same time, had to be real artists and designers like Alois Bohla. Some companies added monograms of the artists to their textile products.
The portfolio Neue Motive was printed on Bohla's behest but was not distributed for sale. Our collection contains the production material including some original artwork, proof plates, hand-colored versions of finished color lithographs and the original portfolio with 20 lithographic plates in color, title plate and printed introduction, pasted to inside front cover. Our research verified the publication of one earlier title by Alois Bohla, "Neue Motive für moderne Flächenverzierung." There were two editions of this title with different cover illustrations though it remains unknown as to when exactly those were published. OCLC lists eight libraries with copies of this edition containing 24 plates published in 1910, 1917, and 1921. There are no listings of our edition. Next to his ornamental publications Bohla is known for his intricate textile designs.
Price: $12,500.00