Les Métamorphoses du Jour par Grandville. Accompagnées d'un Texte ... &c
Grandville
Paris. Gustave Havard. 1854
The posthumous first edition in book form with accompanying text of Grandville's 'Les Métamorphoses du Jour' in the original publisher's binding.
Sixty-seven of these plates - three are added from other series by Grandville - originally appeared in album form in 1829 and this version, published 17 years after Grandville's death, is both the first edition in octavo and the first with to be accompanied with text. The plates were engraved on wood by Desperet (for the first, oblong folio edition, the plates were lithographs with additional colouring by hand) and then 'illustrated' with a satirical text inspired by Grandville's plate by one of a number of authors. The pantheon of 'illustrators' were: Albéric Second, Louis Lurine, Clément Caraguel, Taxile Delord, H. de Beaulieu, Louis Huart, Charles Monselet and Julien Lemer; Charles Blanc's biographical notice is accompanied by a bibliography of Grandville's illustrated books.
''Les Métamorphoses du Jour' ont été l'idée mère de toutes les créations humano-bestiales, dont on a tant abusé depuis, et resteront incontestablement comme le chef-d'oeuvre de Grandville ... Nous a offrons au public une oeuvre qui entre pour la première fois dans le domaine de la librairie, une oeuvre inconnue de la génération nouvelle ... '. (From the original prospectus for hte work).
[Carteret III, 284 / 285; Rebeyrat 288; SR / BF 104].
Sixty-seven of these plates - three are added from other series by Grandville - originally appeared in album form in 1829 and this version, published 17 years after Grandville's death, is both the first edition in octavo and the first with to be accompanied with text. The plates were engraved on wood by Desperet (for the first, oblong folio edition, the plates were lithographs with additional colouring by hand) and then 'illustrated' with a satirical text inspired by Grandville's plate by one of a number of authors. The pantheon of 'illustrators' were: Albéric Second, Louis Lurine, Clément Caraguel, Taxile Delord, H. de Beaulieu, Louis Huart, Charles Monselet and Julien Lemer; Charles Blanc's biographical notice is accompanied by a bibliography of Grandville's illustrated books.
''Les Métamorphoses du Jour' ont été l'idée mère de toutes les créations humano-bestiales, dont on a tant abusé depuis, et resteront incontestablement comme le chef-d'oeuvre de Grandville ... Nous a offrons au public une oeuvre qui entre pour la première fois dans le domaine de la librairie, une oeuvre inconnue de la génération nouvelle ... '. (From the original prospectus for hte work).
[Carteret III, 284 / 285; Rebeyrat 288; SR / BF 104].
pp. (iv), xxviii, 283. Large 8vo. (268 x 178 mm). Half-title with printer's credit verso, printed title with monochrome vignette by Grandville, 13 leaves with biographical notice, leaf with 'Oeuvres de Grandville' and 70 engraved plates by Grandville each with additional colouring by hand, final two leaves with 'Table'. Original publisher's midnight blue percaline with elaborate polychromatic decoration, front board with title 'MÉTAMORPHOSES' and credit 'Par J. J. Grandville', large gilt stamp reproducing plate XXXVI 'Ma femme est sortie, ma petite chatte ... ' with additional colour, rear board with plate XXIV 'Oh! le monstre d'homme ... ', spine with elaborate gilt decoration and titles, elaborate tooling in blind to boards and spine, yellow glazed endpapers, a.e.g.
#47345
