Rêverie | Flame Tree Puzzles Review with art by Alphonse Mucha

For a while now, I’ve been on the hunt for a decent-quality puzzle featuring the beautiful art of Alphonse Mucha. His Art Nouveau style and the stunning posters he created for Sarah Bernhardt have always captivated me. I don’t always have the budget to buy new and sadly, most Mucha puzzles I’ve encountered at the thrift have been disappointing in quality. Some were unbranded and likely used his artwork without proper licensing, making it difficult to find a puzzle worth investing in. After passing on at least seven different puzzles, I was beginning to lose hope. Finally, I stumbled upon a Mucha puzzle that seemed promising, even if it wasn’t exactly high-quality.

Alphonse Mucha, born in 1860 in the Czech Republic, was a master of the Art Nouveau style, a movement that emphasized natural forms and intricate details. Mucha’s work is easily recognizable by its elegant lines, delicate color palettes, and harmonious compositions featuring women adorned with flowers and ornate patterns. His posters for Sarah Bernhardt, beginning with the iconic “Gismonda,” not only made him famous but also helped define the visual aesthetic of an era. Mucha’s influence extended beyond posters to include designs for jewelry, furniture, and even architecture, leaving a lasting legacy on the world of art and design.

I came across this puzzle of his piece ‘Rêverie’ from the brand Flame Tree at my local library’s monthly book sale and I finally felt that the quality was good enough to warrant purchasing it. Flame Tree is an art focused publishing company who aims to “always, to make objects and books which are both beautiful and practical, that enrich the lives of the people who work with us and partner with us, who read and enjoy what we make”. That’s the kind of brand statement that I can get behind. I also appreciate a company who not only has Ethical Policies but also has an entire page dedicated to them on their site. They have a beautiful line of art based puzzles featuring not just Mucha but also, Angela Harding, van Gough, Klimt, Turner and Monet just to name a few. You do want to be careful when purchasing a puzzle that is based off of artwork that wasn’t specifically created for puzzles. Art puzzles can be some of the hardest puzzle images to assemble (especially the impressionists).

This was my first Flame Tree puzzle, and overall, it was of just okay quality. The piece cut was a standard ribbon cut with two inner prongs and two outer prongs on each piece. I would have preferred a more varied cut with this image, but it wasn’t unmanageable as is. The colors looked gorgeous on this puzzle, but the finish on the pieces was smooth and glossy, so the glare from lighting was occasionally an issue. The pieces were a nice size—not too large and not too small—but the fit was looser than I’d like. I did end up having a few false fits, but just a few and they were easily identifiable. The box that it came in was sturdy with a glossy finish, and while the artwork on the front was cropped, they included a full image of the piece on the back, which I appreciated.

As I mentioned, I’ve been wanting to work on a puzzle featuring a piece by Alphonse Mucha for a while and was aware that his images might not make for the easiest puzzles. Some images, like his “Four Seasons,” I think would be easier to puzzle than others. At this point, I wasn’t picky, and I really loved this image. For a cool $3, it felt like a good deal. The original retail of this puzzle was $19, and I feel like that’s probably the most I would pay given the mix of quality.

When it comes to assembly, I started out by sorting the pieces. I separated the solid red pieces, the cream and line portions of her dress with the other soft ivory and cream parts, any piece with black, and a very small pile of pieces with white. Puzzling it wasn’t the easiest but wasn’t impossible either. After the edge, I immediately placed the few elements of her face that I found during sorting. It left her looking a bit like the emoji combo 👁️👄👁️. The assembly was a mix of sections that came together in a satisfying way and ones that slowed you down and made you have to work a little bit more. I started with the beautiful detailing on the chest piece that ran down the middle of her dress. There were repeating elements on these decorative parts, but they were small enough that finding the correct pieces happened quickly and it was quite relaxing to put together. Then I moved onto the portions that had the deep red since they were distinct and a small enough section to knock out reasonably quickly. I never got to a point of frustration, although the cream portion of her dress definitely had me wondering if I was up for the challenge. The cream parts were the hardest, with an intimidating mix of abstract lines on a cream background. Her skin was a pretty even cream color, but there was an element of a gradient along her face and the start of her neck. I sometimes enjoy a solid section if it’s not too large, and this fit the bill.

I probably could have sorted the lines of her dress a little bit more than I did; there was potential to separate it by the amount of lines and the line width, but I chose to just power through it without doing so. There was a small difference in texture between the parts of her dress on the bottom and the top which was useful and a light difference in color from one side to the next.

My husband joined me for a bit on the second afternoon of puzzling. He tackled a few of the floral designs and borders around her head and helped with the dress. Perhaps that is why I never got frustrated. It was a nice balance of challenge and enjoyment for me.

Completed, she makes a stunning picture. This is one of the loveliest puzzles I’ve completed, and honestly, that makes it easier to overlook some of the less ideal quality features. It was one of those puzzles that is hard to take apart because you enjoy looking at it so much. Still, I wouldn’t say that this an easy puzzle and I wouldn’t recommend this to someone new to puzzling or someone who isn’t specifically looking for a spicier puzzle or willing to be challenged a little. If you are a regular puzzler and occasionally work through spicier designs then this is probably a good match for you. Like I said, it’s not the most challenging puzzle out there but it has it’s moments and you’ll want to be ready and willing to work through that. She’s certainly a lovely reward for the effort.