A hand-painted champagne advertising panel is a sign made to promote a champagne house, painted by hand rather than printed. Red Baron has three of them from three of the great houses of Champagne: Moët & Chandon, Pommery and Lanson. Each is a large, tall piece that suits a dining room, wine bar, cellar or restaurant wall.
Why champagne and advertising go together
Few wines have been sold through images as consistently as champagne. When UNESCO inscribed the Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars as a World Heritage site in 2015, it described champagne’s world-renowned image as a symbol of the French art of living, of celebration, reconciliation and victory, and noted that literature, painting, caricatures, posters, music, cinema and photography all testify to it.
The great age of the illustrated poster helped build that image. Art Nouveau posters and graphic art flourished from about 1890 to 1914, carried to a wide public by new color lithography. Alphonse Mucha, the Czech artist whose posters defined the style, worked with Moët & Chandon on a number of posters, catalogues, postcards and other promotional material; his lithograph for Moët’s White Star champagne dates to 1899.
The houses behind the panels
Moët & Chandon, Épernay
Moët & Chandon was established in 1743 by Claude Moët as a wine-trading business in Épernay. It took its present name in 1833, when Pierre-Gabriel Chandon de Briailles joined Jean-Rémy Moët, Claude’s grandson, as a partner. The house also produces Dom Pérignon, named for the Benedictine monk, whose first vintage, 1921, was released in 1936. Épernay’s Avenue de Champagne, home to many of the leading houses, is part of the UNESCO listing.
Pommery, Reims
Pommery was founded in Reims in 1858 as Pommery & Greno. That same year Louise Pommery took over as head of the house after her husband’s death, and in 1874 she created Pommery Nature, the first brut (dry) champagne to meet with commercial success. From 1868 she turned old chalk pits into cellars, about 18 kilometers of connected galleries. Pommery stands on Reims’s Saint-Nicaise Hill, another part of the UNESCO site.
Lanson, Reims
Lanson dates its founding to 1760 in the heart of Reims. In 1798 the house adopted the Maltese cross as its emblem, in tribute to the founder’s son, a member of the Order of Malta, and a red cross still appears on its bottles. On 4 December 1900 Lanson became one of the first champagne houses to receive a British Royal Warrant.
Art Nouveau in a 1930s panel
Our listing describes the Moët & Chandon panel as Art Nouveau and dates it to about 1935. Art Nouveau graphics were at their height before the First World War, while the 1920s and 1930s belonged to Art Deco, with its geometric shapes and machine-age simplicity. A mid-1930s panel in the flowing Art Nouveau manner is looking back to the earlier style, which is part of its interest.
Why fish and lobster?
The Pommery panel features a fish and the Lanson panel a lobster, and champagne with seafood is a classic pairing. Science offers part of the reason: a 2020 University of Copenhagen study published in Scientific Reports found an umami synergy between champagne, whose lees contribute glutamate, and oysters, whose muscle supplies nucleotides. Neither shows much umami alone, but together the effect is marked. That makes these two panels natural for a seafood restaurant, raw bar, wine bar or dining room.
On our floor
- Moët & Chandon Art Nouveau panel (RC3054): an original advertising panel, hand painted, circa 1935, 55 inches high by 18 inches wide.
- Champagne Pommery panel (RC3057): a hand-painted original advertising panel featuring a fish, 72 inches high by 25 inches wide.
- Champagne Lanson panel (RC3056): a hand-painted advertising panel featuring a lobster, 72 inches high by 25 inches wide.
Why hand-painted advertising is prized
Posters reached a wide public because color lithography could print them in quantity. A hand-painted panel was made one at a time, so no two are exactly alike, and the brushwork itself is part of what you are looking at.
How to display champagne advertising
- Use the height. At 72 inches tall and 25 wide, the Pommery and Lanson panels suit a column, a pier between windows or the wall beside a doorway. They also work as a matched pair.
- Group the houses. Hung together, the three panels tell a short story of Champagne: Épernay and Reims, three founding dates spanning the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
- Mind the room. Keep painted pieces out of direct sun and away from damp. Archivists advise keeping relative humidity below 65 percent to discourage mold, which matters if a panel will hang near a working wine cellar.
- Build the setting. Pair the panels with wine antiques; see our wine cellar antiques, including a French riddling rack, and browse Advertising Signs.
Frequently asked questions
Are these panels original?
Our listings describe the Moët & Chandon and Pommery panels as original hand-painted advertising panels, and the Moët & Chandon panel dates to about 1935. The Lanson panel is listed as a hand-painted advertising panel.
When was Moët & Chandon founded?
Moët & Chandon was founded in Épernay in 1743 by Claude Moët. It took the Moët & Chandon name in 1833.
Who was Madame Pommery?
Louise Pommery took over Pommery & Greno in Reims in 1858 after her husband died. In 1874 she created Pommery Nature, the first brut champagne to meet with commercial success.
What is the cross on Lanson champagne?
It is the Maltese cross, adopted by Lanson in 1798 in tribute to the founder’s son, a member of the Order of Malta. Lanson dates its founding to 1760.
Did Alphonse Mucha design for Moët & Chandon?
Yes. Mucha produced posters and other promotional material for Moët & Chandon, including an 1899 lithograph for its White Star champagne.
Why does champagne pair so well with seafood?
A 2020 University of Copenhagen study found that champagne and oysters create an umami synergy that neither shows alone: glutamate from the champagne’s lees meets nucleotides in the oyster.
What else suits a wine cellar?
See our French champagne riddling rack and Saint-Émilion barrel ends.
See it in Roswell
Every piece in this story is on the floor at the Red Baron Antiques showroom, 872 Atlanta Street, Roswell, Georgia, open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm. Call (770) 640-4604 or email [email protected] with the item number, and the team will tell you more.