Tentation – Eugene Grasset, 1897

“Tentation” [Temptation], lithograph from 1897, designed by Eugène Samuel Grasset and published by G. de Malherbe. Size: approx. 63 × 63 cm.

Eugène Grasset (1845–1917) was a Swiss graphic designer and illustrator who spent most of his career in Paris, where he became one of the pioneers of Art Nouveau. Before fully devoting himself to graphic art, he experimented with ceramics and designed furniture and wallpaper. From about 1877 onward he focused almost entirely on illustration and lithography, making book illustrations, calendars, magazine covers, and decorative prints. In these works he developed a highly distinctive visual language in which line, flat colour areas, and ornament form a harmonious whole.

This so-called panneau décoratif forms part of the series “Dix Estampes Décoratives (caractères de femmes, fleurs emblématiques),” published in an edition of 750 copies. In this series Grasset associates female figures with symbolic flowers and emotional states, closely intertwining decorative beauty with symbolic imagery.

In Tentation, a young woman is depicted in profile, standing before a fruit tree whose branches are heavily laden with pale green apples. She reaches for one of the fruits and holds it in her hand, while her other hand rests protectively against her chest. Her expression suggests a hint of wonder. The scene refers to the biblical motif of temptation, yet without an explicit moral interpretation.

The apple symbolizes desire, temptation, and knowledge, but also hesitation and inner doubt. Grasset presents the motif not as an action with consequences, but as a moment of contemplation.

The decoratively stylized leaves, the repetition of forms in the background, and the carefully balanced colour palette structure the composition and lend the work a restrained, concentrated character. In this way Tentation is representative of Grasset’s approach within early Art Nouveau, where symbolism and decorative design are closely intertwined.

Price: Euro 1.950,-