Franz von Bayros - Engraving 1

Franz von Bayros

Franz von Bayros (May 28, 1866 – April 3, 1924) was an Austrian commercial artist, illustrator, and painter best known for his controversial "Tales at the Dressing Table" portfolio. Von Bayros belonged to the Decadent movement in art, often relying on erotic themes and phantasmagoric imagery.

Von Bayros was born in Zagreb, in present-day Croatia. At the age of 17, he passed the entrance exam for the Vienna Academy with Eduard von Engerth. Von Bayros mixed in elegant society and soon belonged to the circle of friends of Johann Strauss II, whose stepdaughter Alice he married in 1896. The next year, von Bayros moved to Munich. In 1904, von Bayros gave his first exhibition in Munich, which was a great success. From 1904 until 1908, von Bayros traveled to Paris and Italy for his studies. Returning to Vienna, he felt himself a stranger. The outbreak of the First World War was yet another setback for von Bayros. The artist died at Vienna, from a cerebral hemorrhage.

Martin van Maele - La Grande Danse Macabre des Vifs

 Martin van Maele is a pseudonym for Maurice François Alfred Martin (October 12, 1863- September 5, 1926). He was a French illustrator for early 20th century literature who is renowned for his work in the field of erotic literature. During his career he worked on illustrations for Paul Verlaine's poems, H.G. Wells' The First Men in the Moon, Anatole France's Thais and Felix Juven's French translations of the Sherlock Holmes series.

Among collectors his 'Grande danse macabre des vifs' is best known. This 'Big danse macabre of the living', around 1905, consists of four series, each containing ten prints. It's almost sure that the edition was less than a 100 copies. The prints are both humoristic and satirical, somtimes cynical.