Headline Design for the Periodical Magyar Iparművészet (Hungarian Applied Arts)

The headline, designed by Ferenc Helbing, first appeared in the periodical in 1898, then again in 1899. A figure extending a laurel wreath was a common motif on Historicist certificates, although not as a nude. A wreath made from laurel branches had been an award for enduring excellence, a symbol of glory, since the ancient Greeks. The stylized branches, leaves, flowers and buds of chrysanthemum, the favourite plant of this period start from the left bottom corner of the assymmetrical composition, creating a framework of coiling tendrils. Chrysanthemum was known as a royal flower in the Oriental cultures. The crowning of the title “MAGYAR IPARMŰVÉSZET” with a laurel wreath has metaphorical and symbolic meaning. This inscription under the inverted L-shaped decoration was made with specially designed Art Nouveau lettering. The emphatic contrast between black and white, black letters on a white background, as well as the black lines and shading produce a decorative effect.