This spectacular three-sheet poster depicts the dramatic climax of the opera. Scarpia, the police chief, has asked for Tosca’s love in exchange for the release of her arrested lover, Cavaradossi. She goes along with his proposal on the basis that he will forgive Cavaradossi, to which he agrees. But as soon as she receives the pardon, she stabs the police chief and places two candles beside him and a crucifix on his chest. But even so, the other guards have continued following orders to kill Tosca’s lover; she throws herself off a high wall to her death. This murky melodrama, full of high passion and double-crosses, was originally a stage play by Victorien Sardou in 1887, written expressly for Sarah Bernhardt. Why Puccini, who was known for composing lyrical, gentle music, was attracted to such a tragic piece is not clear, but his opera, which premiered in Rome on January 14, 1900, quickly became a classic—as did Hohenstein’s incredibly dramatic poster. Rare!
G. Ricordi, Milano
literature: Weill, 136; Ricordi, 59; Menegazzi-I, 25; Masters 1900, p. 124; PAI-LXXXVIII, 339
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