La Défense de Tartufe. Extases, Remords, Visions, Prières. Poèmes et Méditations d'un Juif Converti
Picasso. Jacob, Max
Paris. Société Littéraire de France. 1919
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One of Picasso's rarest illustrated books, and his fifth collaboration with Jacob, issued in only twenty-five copies.
From the edition limited to 830 copies, with this one of the first 25 édition de tête copies on vélin de Rives with Picasso's signed original frontispiece engraving.
Picasso's engraving, printed by 'Les Presses Eugène Delâtre' in Paris, was included only with these first 25 édition de tête copies; a further 25 copies were illustrated with reproduction drawings by Max Jacob while the remainder of the edition was unillustrated.
'Cher P[icasso] ... Tu es bien ce que j'aime le plus au monde après Dieu et les Saints ... '. (Jacobin the text, pg. 108).
Max Jacob and Picasso were very close friends, almost from the beginning of Picasso's life in Paris, when Jacob, Picasso, André Salmon and Guillaume Apollinaire used to meet at Picasso's home, the 'Bateau-Lavoir' in rue Ravignan. Indeed, it is highly significant that of the seven books illustrated by Picasso before 1920, five were in collaboration with Jacob: 'Saint Matorel' (1911), 'Le Siège de Jérusalem' (1914), 'Le Cornet à Dés' (1917), 'Le Phanérogame' (1918) and the present work 'La Défense de Tartufe'. Picasso's engraving was likely created in 1915 or 1916 and is almost certainly a portrait of Eva Gouel, his lover who died of tuberculosis in December 1915; despite the achevé d'imprimer ('22 Novembre 1919') the engraving was printed for the book in January or February 1920.
' ... il semble bien qu'il s'agisse finalement d'Eva, ce qui est également intéressant, étant donné qu'il n'existe qu'une autre représentation d'elle, très transformée, au musée Picasso, Paris.' (Baer / Geiser).
'In February 1915, Max Jacob was baptized and Picasso - although his appreciation of the event focused [sic] mainly on the comical aspects - stood godfather to Cyprien Max Jacob [a footnote indicates that one of Picasso's christian names was Cipriano] ... For Jacob, being christened was a necessary existential step towards self-realization. He knew that he was profoundly sinful and weak - Tartufe, indeed, was he! La D´fense de Tartufe is, therefore, the diary of a convert who feels surrounded by temptation. Its four parts correspond to the stages of Jacob's experience, i.e. his life before conversion, the revelation, the years of mysticism between revelation and baptism and, finally, the devotional life ... In June, 1921 Jacob left Paris and retired to the presbytery of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire ... The book is dedicated to Juan Gris who, like Apollinaire and Salmon, to whom Saint Matorel and Le Phanérogame respectively are dedicated, had been a friend of Jacob's since the days of the 'Bateau-Lavoir'.' (Cramer).
[Cramer 7; Bloch 31; Baer / Geiser 52].
From the edition limited to 830 copies, with this one of the first 25 édition de tête copies on vélin de Rives with Picasso's signed original frontispiece engraving.
Picasso's engraving, printed by 'Les Presses Eugène Delâtre' in Paris, was included only with these first 25 édition de tête copies; a further 25 copies were illustrated with reproduction drawings by Max Jacob while the remainder of the edition was unillustrated.
'Cher P[icasso] ... Tu es bien ce que j'aime le plus au monde après Dieu et les Saints ... '. (Jacobin the text, pg. 108).
Max Jacob and Picasso were very close friends, almost from the beginning of Picasso's life in Paris, when Jacob, Picasso, André Salmon and Guillaume Apollinaire used to meet at Picasso's home, the 'Bateau-Lavoir' in rue Ravignan. Indeed, it is highly significant that of the seven books illustrated by Picasso before 1920, five were in collaboration with Jacob: 'Saint Matorel' (1911), 'Le Siège de Jérusalem' (1914), 'Le Cornet à Dés' (1917), 'Le Phanérogame' (1918) and the present work 'La Défense de Tartufe'. Picasso's engraving was likely created in 1915 or 1916 and is almost certainly a portrait of Eva Gouel, his lover who died of tuberculosis in December 1915; despite the achevé d'imprimer ('22 Novembre 1919') the engraving was printed for the book in January or February 1920.
' ... il semble bien qu'il s'agisse finalement d'Eva, ce qui est également intéressant, étant donné qu'il n'existe qu'une autre représentation d'elle, très transformée, au musée Picasso, Paris.' (Baer / Geiser).
'In February 1915, Max Jacob was baptized and Picasso - although his appreciation of the event focused [sic] mainly on the comical aspects - stood godfather to Cyprien Max Jacob [a footnote indicates that one of Picasso's christian names was Cipriano] ... For Jacob, being christened was a necessary existential step towards self-realization. He knew that he was profoundly sinful and weak - Tartufe, indeed, was he! La D´fense de Tartufe is, therefore, the diary of a convert who feels surrounded by temptation. Its four parts correspond to the stages of Jacob's experience, i.e. his life before conversion, the revelation, the years of mysticism between revelation and baptism and, finally, the devotional life ... In June, 1921 Jacob left Paris and retired to the presbytery of Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire ... The book is dedicated to Juan Gris who, like Apollinaire and Salmon, to whom Saint Matorel and Le Phanérogame respectively are dedicated, had been a friend of Jacob's since the days of the 'Bateau-Lavoir'.' (Cramer).
[Cramer 7; Bloch 31; Baer / Geiser 52].
pp. (x), 213, (i). Square 12mo. (160 x 134 mm). Half title, original frontispiece engraving by Pablo Picasso, signed by the artist in pencil, printed title with publisher's vignette and justification verso, leaf with 'A Juan Gris' recto, leaf with 'Dédicace' and Jacob's text, two leaves with 'Table' and final leaf with achevé d'imprimer recto. Contemporary claret half-morocco, banded spine with gilt rules and title in six compartments, marbled endpapers, original publisher's grey printed wrappers and backstrip preserved, t.e.g.
#44652
