Alphonse Mucha created Zodiac in 1896 as a calendar for a Paris printing company. It was never intended as high art — it was commercial work, designed to be reproduced and distributed. And yet it became one of the defining images of the Art Nouveau movement: a woman in profile, surrounded by an ornate circular border bearing the signs of the zodiac, framed by the flat, sinuous decorative forms that made Mucha's posters immediately recognisable across Europe.
As a puzzle, Zodiac is one of the most visually distinctive in the Pomegranate range. The warm golden tones of the circular border, the jewel-like colours of the zodiac roundels, the flowing hair and robes of the central figure — the composition is dense with decorative detail that rewards the kind of close attention puzzling demands.
How it assembles
The circular composition gives you a strong structural anchor from the start — the outer border, the inner border, and the central figure are three distinct zones that establish the overall layout early. The zodiac symbols within the border are each individually distinct, which makes sorting the border section more manageable than a continuous decorative pattern would be. The warm, unified palette across the work means tonal sorting matters more than colour sorting in the mid-sections.
The central figure and her elaborate hair provide the finest detail in the piece — this is where close attention in the later stages pays off. The finished puzzle is striking at display scale, and the circular design within a rectangular frame is particularly effective when framed.
As a gift
A strong gift for anyone interested in Art Nouveau, poster art, decorative design, or Mucha specifically. Also works for anyone who simply appreciates a puzzle that looks extraordinary on a wall. At $34.99.