Design for a certificate of citizenship, awarded by the city of Vienna

Erwin Puchinger Austrian

Not on view

While Viennese citizenship was no longer highly exclusive and had lost much of the legal and financial implications it once had, the tradition of presenting new citizens with an official certificate was upheld well into the twentieth century. The custom provided regular commissions for the many graphic artists active in Vienna. Puchinger designed a number of different certificates in which he shows his great versatility in technique, and various sources of inspiration. Several of these designs are inspired by the time he spent in England during his training and early career. The green border in this certificate is inspired by book illustrations of the Arts and Crafts Movement, while the figures remind of works by the Pre-Raphaelites.

Design for a certificate of citizenship, awarded by the city of Vienna, Erwin Puchinger (Austrian, Vienna 1875–1944 Vienna), Watercolor, gouache gold paint and black pen and ink outline over graphite underdrawing

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