◇ New Year’s Gifts, Art Objects, Religious Subjects

This is a vintage French advertisement for decorative and religious statuettes titled "Statuettes Plastiques Fantasies". The design combines artistic and commercial elements, with the statuettes as the focal point, surrounded by elegant typography and detailed text. The central text suggests these statuettes were marketed as New Year's gifts, art objects, or representations of religious themes. 

Why We Picked It
The poster's layout and aesthetic balances the artistic and commercial appeal of the statuettes, by integrating the communication in an elegant decorative composition. There are two rows of finely engraved three-dimensional statuettes including figures of Christ and angels. The statues are set against black ink, so they stand out against the paler cream background thereby allowing the intricate engraved details of the sculptures to shine. Surrounding the statues and text is an ornate wrought-iron-like design, which both brings refinement and creates a cohesive framing for the composition. 

Notable Context
This poster embodies the aesthetic and cultural sensibilities of Paris during the 1860s, combining religion with ornamental design. This period marked the height of the Second French Empire (1852–1870) under Napoleon III. Paris was undergoing dramatic transformations led by Baron Haussmann, including urban redevelopment and modernization. The city was a cultural and commercial hub, with an expanding middle class eager to display their taste and wealth through decorative items like statuettes.

Religious devotion also experienced a resurgence, partly influenced by the empire’s alignment with Catholic values, making religious art a popular choice for homes and churches. With industrial techniques making decorative art more affordable, items like the statuettes bridged the gap between piety and aesthetics, appealing to a range of customers from devout families to church patrons. The delicate wrought-iron motifs also evoke the architectural and decorative trends of the era. All of this makes it a striking representation of early 20th-century French advertising, reflecting both craftsmanship and the aesthetic sensibilities of its time.

The tradition of offering étrennes, or New Year’s gifts, was a deeply ingrained custom in France, particularly among the bourgeoisie. These gifts often included ornamental objects like statuettes, which were both sentimental and status symbols. 

About the printer
The poster bears the lithographer's mark of Paris Lith Van Geleyn, Faubourg St. Denis 177. Lithographic printing, invented in 1796, had become a dominant medium for producing detailed, colorful advertisements by the 1860s. Paris was a center for lithographic art, and Van Geleyn was a  printing establishment, located in one of the city's bustling districts.