Sarah Bernhardt in the role of La Tosca
by MUCHA, Alphonse, Colour lithograph, 105 x 39 cm
In this poster, Sarah Bernhardt as La Tosca in Victorien Sardou’s (1831-1908) play stands holding a cane in her right hand and a bunch of flowers in her left. Another woman stands behind. Decoration in Art Nouveau style luxuriates around the figures.
Sardou’s play was the source of the libretto of Giacomo Puccini’s opera La Tosca.
Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 6 minutes):
Giacomo Puccini: Tosca, “Vissi d’Arte”, soprano aria, Act 2