Parallèlement
Bonnard. Verlaine, P[aul]
Paris. Imprimerie Nationale / Ambroise Vollard Editeur. 1900
Sold
A beautiful copy of the édition de tête of Bonnard's most famous and important illustrated book together with an additional volume with a unique cancelled suite of the plates and a suite in black known from this and one other example.
From the edition limited to 200 copies, with this one of the first ten édition de tête examples on chine chine with a suite of all of the illustrations on chine chine and the wrappers in the rare first state with the device of the Imprimerie Nationale and the privilège leaf for the Garde des Sceaux.
The second volume presented here contains two additional suites printed in black on chine chine, as well as the original wrappers for the book in the second state with Bonnard's woodcut vignette replacing the vignette of the Imprimerie Nationale. The first of these suites contains 82 leaves of the lithographs from the book in black, including two pulls of the frontispiece lithograph used by Bonnard to replace the privilége leaf for the Garde des Sceaux, omitting the lithographs for pages 66 - 80, 82 - 90, 99, 102 - 103, 113, 117, 130 - 131 and 134 - 135. The final four lithographs are variations on the images finally used in the book considerably reworked by Bonnard for the final publication. This suite is known from one other recorded example (see below). The second suite contains 79 leaves of cancelled lithographs, matching exactly the first suite in black but with the omission of the two pulls of the frontispiece, as well as the lithograph for page 81. This second suite is entirely unrecorded and likely belonged to the publisher of the book, Ambroise Vollard (see also below).
The great bibliophile and connoisseur Dr. Alexandre Roudinesco (his library was dispersed in two sales in Paris in May and October 1967) owned a copy of Parallèlement that contained a suite of 77 lithographs printed in black on chine acquired directly from Vollard; in that copy he recorded in pencil: 'Suite de 77 lithographies lithographies tirées à part sur Chine en noir. Cette suite incomplète (77 planches sur 109) n'a été tirée qu'à 2 exemplaires. Les deux suites sont incomplètes. L'une [this suite] existe dans la collection Vollard (comprend également 77 planches), l'autre est reliée dans le présent exemplaire. Elle m'a été cédée par Vollard de qui je tiens ces renseignements.' Although Roudinesco - like all other authorities - makes no mention of a suite of cancelled plates, it seems highly likely that the second volume presented here is from Vollard's personal collection.
Also included in the book is the original four page prospectus for the publication with two specimen lithographs on vélin de Hollande with the watermark 'PARALLELEMENT', the original lithograph by Bonnard that replaced the privilège of the Garde des Sceaux, here printed in bistre, an additional half-title / justification leaf without number on chine chine and a copy of the altered title-page with Bonnard's woodcut vignette.
'An epoch-making book ...'. (The Artist & the Book 1860 - 1960).
'It is hardly surprising that Ambroise Vollard thought of Bonnard to illustrate Verlaine's Parallèlement. He knew already the artist's drawings for Marie; and he had seen the painting Indolence, a drawing of which is actually included in this work ... Bonnard invented a very free style of composition to complement Verlaine's poems; the lithographs stray into and around the verses themselves and curve out again into the margins, voluptuous and tender images whose powers of suggestion miraculously enhance the poet's art.' (Pierre Bonnard, Gallimard).
'Vollard who was the friend of all the best painters of his day, spared nothing in his efforts to publish Verlaine's Parallèlement in a magnificent edition: an imposing format, impressive lithographs, the large and elegant Garamond italic type, recently recast by the Imprimerie Nationale; and finally, the prominent role played by the illustrations. On each page, the tender and sensual lithographs ... overflow their bounderies and pour into the margins, pink as the early light of morning, marking indelibly the dawn of the twentieth century in the history of the printed book.' (Guignard, Le Livre, 1942).
[Bouvet 73; From Manet to Hockney 17; Logan 11; The Artist & the Book 27; Castleman pp. 86/7].
From the edition limited to 200 copies, with this one of the first ten édition de tête examples on chine chine with a suite of all of the illustrations on chine chine and the wrappers in the rare first state with the device of the Imprimerie Nationale and the privilège leaf for the Garde des Sceaux.
The second volume presented here contains two additional suites printed in black on chine chine, as well as the original wrappers for the book in the second state with Bonnard's woodcut vignette replacing the vignette of the Imprimerie Nationale. The first of these suites contains 82 leaves of the lithographs from the book in black, including two pulls of the frontispiece lithograph used by Bonnard to replace the privilége leaf for the Garde des Sceaux, omitting the lithographs for pages 66 - 80, 82 - 90, 99, 102 - 103, 113, 117, 130 - 131 and 134 - 135. The final four lithographs are variations on the images finally used in the book considerably reworked by Bonnard for the final publication. This suite is known from one other recorded example (see below). The second suite contains 79 leaves of cancelled lithographs, matching exactly the first suite in black but with the omission of the two pulls of the frontispiece, as well as the lithograph for page 81. This second suite is entirely unrecorded and likely belonged to the publisher of the book, Ambroise Vollard (see also below).
The great bibliophile and connoisseur Dr. Alexandre Roudinesco (his library was dispersed in two sales in Paris in May and October 1967) owned a copy of Parallèlement that contained a suite of 77 lithographs printed in black on chine acquired directly from Vollard; in that copy he recorded in pencil: 'Suite de 77 lithographies lithographies tirées à part sur Chine en noir. Cette suite incomplète (77 planches sur 109) n'a été tirée qu'à 2 exemplaires. Les deux suites sont incomplètes. L'une [this suite] existe dans la collection Vollard (comprend également 77 planches), l'autre est reliée dans le présent exemplaire. Elle m'a été cédée par Vollard de qui je tiens ces renseignements.' Although Roudinesco - like all other authorities - makes no mention of a suite of cancelled plates, it seems highly likely that the second volume presented here is from Vollard's personal collection.
Also included in the book is the original four page prospectus for the publication with two specimen lithographs on vélin de Hollande with the watermark 'PARALLELEMENT', the original lithograph by Bonnard that replaced the privilège of the Garde des Sceaux, here printed in bistre, an additional half-title / justification leaf without number on chine chine and a copy of the altered title-page with Bonnard's woodcut vignette.
'An epoch-making book ...'. (The Artist & the Book 1860 - 1960).
'It is hardly surprising that Ambroise Vollard thought of Bonnard to illustrate Verlaine's Parallèlement. He knew already the artist's drawings for Marie; and he had seen the painting Indolence, a drawing of which is actually included in this work ... Bonnard invented a very free style of composition to complement Verlaine's poems; the lithographs stray into and around the verses themselves and curve out again into the margins, voluptuous and tender images whose powers of suggestion miraculously enhance the poet's art.' (Pierre Bonnard, Gallimard).
'Vollard who was the friend of all the best painters of his day, spared nothing in his efforts to publish Verlaine's Parallèlement in a magnificent edition: an imposing format, impressive lithographs, the large and elegant Garamond italic type, recently recast by the Imprimerie Nationale; and finally, the prominent role played by the illustrations. On each page, the tender and sensual lithographs ... overflow their bounderies and pour into the margins, pink as the early light of morning, marking indelibly the dawn of the twentieth century in the history of the printed book.' (Guignard, Le Livre, 1942).
[Bouvet 73; From Manet to Hockney 17; Logan 11; The Artist & the Book 27; Castleman pp. 86/7].
2 vols. 4to. Illustrated with 109 original lithographs printed in rose and 9 wood-cuts after Bonnard printed in black. Full rose crushed morocco by Georges Cretté with his signature gilt (G. Cretté Succ. de Marius Michel), front and rear boards with central parallel bands of gilt rules to surround two inlaid strips of green morocco, front board with additional semi-circular gilt tooling to form a decorative geometric pattern, title gilt to spine with additional small inlaid sections of orange and green crushed morocco with gilt surrounds, grey crushed morocco dentelles with parallel rules in gilt and red crushed morocco, burgundy silk moiré doublures, marbled endpapers, original wrappers and backstrip retained, a.e.g., with burgundy morocco-backed marbled chemise and slipcase; the suites bound in full Jansenist burgundy crushed morocco by Marius Michel with his signature gilt, banded spine with title gilt in five compartments, inner dentelles of grey crushed morocco ruled in gilt with additional inlaid section of burgundy crushed morocco, red silk moiré doublures, marbled endpapers, original wrappers and backstrip retained, a.e.g., matching morocco-backed marbled board chemise and slipcase.
#37738
