Les Chocolats Suchard 1920

There is a gleeful mischief loose in Les Chocolats Suchard, Leonetto Cappiello's exuberant 1920 design for one of the great names in chocolate. From the first glance it radiates the kind of uncontainable joy that only the very best advertising art achieves.

This vibrant composition is in fact a preliminary study, and it crackles with an energy the final campaign never quite matched. A spry, impish figure scatters chocolate bars to the world with wild abandon, arms flung wide in pure delight. Though this version was ultimately set aside for another, the sketch preserves an irrepressible spark. The brand behind it was a giant: Chocolat Suchard, founded in Neuchatel in 1825 by Philippe Suchard, rose to prominence after a fortunate 1842 order from the King of Prussia, and by the turn of the century had grown into the world's largest chocolate producer, laden with international prizes and accolades. That such a colossal enterprise was courted with an image this playful says everything about Cappiello's confidence: he trusted a single joyful character to do the work of a thousand words of copy.

Leonetto Cappiello (1875-1942), often hailed as the father of modern advertising, reinvented the poster with bold, witty figures leaping off vivid dark grounds. Rather than simply depicting goods, he gave each brand a memorable visual mascot, an idea that steered commercial art for a century. His caricaturist's eye and love of theatrical colour made his work instantly recognisable across Europe.

The Belle Epoque, the 'beautiful era' between 1871 and 1914, was the golden age of the illustrated poster. Colour lithography allowed artists to flood Paris with vivid imagery, and pioneers such as Cheret, Mucha and Cappiello turned commercial advertising into collectable art.

All that scattering energy makes a joyful centrepiece. The print livens a kitchen, pantry, dining room, cafe or breakfast nook, delights children and grown-ups alike, and injects a jolt of colour into a gallery wall of vintage advertising posters. Because it began as a working sketch, it also carries a rare, behind-the-scenes charm that collectors particularly prize.

Printed to order on premium 189 gsm museum-grade archival matte paper with fade-resistant pigment inks for rich, gallery-quality colour and crisp detail. Choose your size from the drop-down menu - 8x12, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30 or 24x36 inches. Carefully packaged and shipped rolled in a sturdy tube, or flat in the smallest size; frame not included.

This is a faithful fine-art reproduction of the original stone lithograph, colour-matched and printed to archival standards rather than a flat mass-market copy. It preserves the texture and character of the antique poster while arriving crisp, clean and ready to frame.

A delightful gift for chocolate lovers and admirers of Cappiello and Belle Epoque design - and a lasting way to bring a piece of vintage advertising history into a home, studio or workplace. Reproduced from a high-resolution scan of the original lithograph; subtle age-toning is part of its authentic historic character.