Lot 25: Inchiostri Ancora.

Inchiostri Ancora.
ALDO MAZZA (1880-1964)
Stab. A. Bertarelli, Milano
Cond A-/Unobtrusive folds.
A poster that by today's politically-correct standards wouldn't precisely be considered appropriate is nonetheless a graphically potent and humorous exageration with regard to the contrast between the colors white and black for Ancora Ink. A mischievous little girl empties the contents of an oversized bottle in order to show the profound darkness of the onyx-colored ink to the nearly-naked black child, who in turn seems to be genuinely taken aback by the profundity of the color. Though this type of ad is no longer acceptable, one does see a reemergence in the study of color contrasts, specifically by the United Colors of Benneton campaign, that is not all that different from a design such as this. The Ancora company was founded in 1907 by Giuseppe Zanini of Arona, Italy and continued to operate until 1975.
1907
39 1/8 x 58 in./99.4 x 147.3 cm