The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Jirí Mucha, the artist’s son.

Born in Moravia in 1860, Alphonse Mucha was a pioneer of Art Nouveau who worked in various media, from painting and illustration to decorative art and advertising. He defined this period with his distinctive style, characterized by intricate, ornamental lines, harmonious compositions and ethereal female figures.
Mucha's works embody the Zeitgeist of fin-de-siècle Europe in an inimitable way. His compositions often depict elongated, idealized women adorned with elaborate garments and surrounded by ornate floral motifs. Mucha's fascination with nature is evident in his delicate depictions of flowers, leaves and other organic elements, which blend seamlessly into his motifs.
At the heart of Mucha's artistic vision was his belief in the unity of art and life. Mucha rejected the rigid distinctions between fine art and commercial design and pursued a holistic approach to creativity, giving his commercial commissions the same artistic integrity as his non-commercial works. In particular, his iconic posters for actress Sarah Bernhardt epitomize this fusion of art and commerce.
Sarah Bernhardt, the legendary actress of the Belle Époque, played a central role in Mucha's artistic career. Their collaboration began in 1894 when Mucha was commissioned to design a poster for Bernhardt's production of "Gismonda". The poster, which shows Bernhardt in a royal pose surrounded by Byzantine-inspired ornamentation, was an instant sensation and helped Mucha achieve fame overnight, establishing him as an outstanding Art Nouveau artist.
The present work also shows the actress Sarah Bernhardt, not in one of her theater roles, but as a model for the ideal-typical representation of female beauty in the fin-de-siècle.
This work is a study for a poster entitled "Fruit" that was to be printed later. This poster from 1897 was part of a series commissioned by the Parisian printing company F. Champenois Imprimeur-Éditeur to advertise the fruit liqueurs produced by this company.
With magnificent floral decorations in her hair and wearing a classically antique-inspired gown with a striking bracelet, the sitter presents a basket overflowing with fruit while gazing sensually over her shoulder at the viewer.
While the finished poster emphasizes the graphic-ornamental and naturally striking qualities, the present study expresses Mucha's painterly skill and artistic finesse, which in its lyrical understanding and iridescent dynamism stands in exciting contrast to the work of the printmaker Mucha.