{"product_id":"a-r-valdespino-vintage-wine-and-cognac-poster-1913","title":"A.R. Valdespino Vintage Wine and Cognac Poster, 1913","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA.R. Valdespino y Hno. Vinos y coñac Jerez\u003c\/em\u003e, produced by the French printing firm Imp. F. Champenois in 1913, turns a drinks advertisement into a compact comic performance. Against a restrained grey ground, a monkey in a brilliant red coat holds a bottle above a reclining pelican, whose long beak opens towards its unlikely companion. The absurd encounter is immediately legible from a distance: warm reds, ochres and deep browns concentrate attention on the two animals before the eye drops to the emphatic company name below.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe poster belongs to an era in which illustrated advertising increasingly gave branded goods a distinctive public identity. Rather than presenting bottles alone, its designers built a memorable character scene around the wines and \u003cem\u003ecoñac\u003c\/em\u003e of Jerez. The southern Spanish city was already closely associated with sherry and an international trade in fortified wine, while the French firm Imp. F. Champenois was active in the richly decorative world of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century commercial printing. Here, sophisticated production serves a deliberately mischievous idea: humour becomes the means by which the advertiser fixes its name in the memory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eA closer look\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe composition is asymmetrical but carefully balanced. The monkey occupies the right-hand side, its upright body and raised arm forming a vertical counterweight to the pelican’s low, spreading shape on the left. Their tilted heads and opposing gestures create an animated diagonal across the centre. Although the scene has little conventional depth, subtle highlights along the animals’ bodies give the figures enough volume to stand out from the plain background.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eColour performs much of the poster’s persuasive work. The monkey’s scarlet coat is the strongest accent, set against brown fur and the pelican’s paler plumage. Yellow and ochre notes in the beak, bottle and lettering connect the central vignette to the information below, while darker contours make the simplified silhouettes crisp and instantly readable. The relative quiet of the grey field is equally important: it leaves the humorous exchange uncluttered and gives the warm palette unusual force.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCloser inspection reveals how much expression is carried by small details. The monkey’s cocked head and caricatured features suggest concentration as it handles the bottle, while the exaggerated curvature of the pelican’s beak turns the bird itself into a visual joke about drinking and capacity. The branded bottle is not merely an accessory but the hinge of the entire composition, positioned precisely between the two animals. Beneath them, the bold wording—“A.R. Valdespino y Hno. Vinos y Coñac Jerez”—anchors the fantasy in its commercial purpose.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eContext and significance\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnimal characters had particular advantages in early advertising: they could communicate across language barriers, lend a brand an immediately recognisable personality and convert a straightforward sales message into a miniature narrative. This poster uses that strategy with unusual economy. The animals are not arranged as natural-history subjects but as performers, their expressive poses and human-like exchange making the company name easier to remember than a conventional display of merchandise might have been.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIts appeal lies in this meeting of decorative assurance and visual wit. Imp. F. Champenois gives the advertisement a strong hierarchy—figures first, lettering second, product at the centre—without allowing the design to feel rigid. More than a century later, the monkey, pelican and suspended bottle retain the brisk comic timing that made illustrated commercial posters such effective objects of public visual culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChoosing the right size and finish\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eArtwork can feel intimate at smaller sizes and dramatically more architectural at larger ones. Use the room preview, model image and size guide to see how the proportions and scale will work in your space.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf you need an exact size, specialist framing or help planning a larger display, \u003ca href=\"\/it\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003eask our workshop for advice\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe model in the listing images is holding the 18x24in (45x60cm) version of this art print.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere personalisation is available, you can add a short title or dedication, or one considered visual detail. \u003ca href=\"\/it\/pages\/map-personalisation\"\u003eSee examples of personalised artwork\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eChoose Original to retain the colour and character of the source artwork, or Aged for a warmer, more antique appearance. \u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/it\/pages\/sepia-aged-maps\"\u003eSee examples of our Aged artwork\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEvery piece is produced to archival standards using fade-resistant pigment inks on acid-free matte art paper. Choose an art print, framed art print or framed canvas using the finish options above.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFramed art prints use crystal-clear optical acrylic for excellent clarity, lower weight and safer delivery than glass. Each piece arrives professionally framed and ready to hang.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSelected artworks can be produced at statement sizes up to 3 metres (10ft). Custom sizing and \u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/it\/pages\/custom-framing\"\u003especialist framing\u003c\/a\u003e are also available. If the exact option you need is not listed, \u003ca target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/it\/pages\/contact-us\"\u003econtact our workshop\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Unique Maps Co.","offers":[{"title":"8x10in (20x25cm) \/ Art print","offer_id":67633398710663,"sku":null,"price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"8x10in (20x25cm) \/ Framed art print","offer_id":67633398743431,"sku":null,"price":60.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"8x10in (20x25cm) \/ Framed canvas","offer_id":67633398776199,"sku":null,"price":70.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A4 (210x297mm) \/ Art print","offer_id":67633398808967,"sku":null,"price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A4 (210x297mm) \/ Framed art print","offer_id":67633398841735,"sku":null,"price":60.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"A4 (210x297mm) \/ Framed 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