Wein-Wunder

Wein-Wunder. Ein Spiel in Sinntänzen (Berlin: Die Wende, 1918) is a graphic work designed by Austrian artist, architect, stage designer, and writer Emil Pirchan during the final phase of his Munich period (1908–1918). Created at a time when Pirchan was among the most prolific commercial artists in Germany, the publication exemplifies his distinctive synthesis of typography, illustration, and decorative modernism, characterized by bold formal simplification, expressive line work, and an inventive integration of text and image. The volume comprises 44 pages and is illustrated with seven full-page hand-coloured and signed original lithographs by the artist. Issued in a flexible original parchment binding with block-book construction, two hand-coloured cover vignettes, and gilt top edge, it represents the high standards of artistic book production associated with Pirchan’s graphic oeuvre. Published shortly before his transition to theatre design, the work reflects the shift from late Jugendstil aesthetics toward the dynamic visual language of early modernism.