Histoires Naturelles. Edition Ornée de Vingt-Deux Lithographes Originales de H. de Toulouse-Lautrec
Toulouse-lautrec, Henri de. Renard, Jules
Paris. H. Floury, Editeur. 1899
One of Toulouse-Lautrec's most charming and most highly accomplished illustrated books.
From the edition limited to 100 copies.
Lautrec had met the well-known writer Jules Renard in 1894, and in 1895 told him he would like to do some illustrations for a book Renard was planning, Histoires Naturelles. The two did not agree on the choice of illustrations or the design, however, and the project took a longtime to materialise. The final result is a collection of rather poignant observations by Renard, each accompanied by a Lautrec illustration. Lautrec's preliminary sketches were begun in 1896 and most of the lithographs executed towards the end of 1898. The pictorial title Lautrec created for the book is a notable visual pun: a fox - the French word for fox, like the surname of the author, is 'renard' - sits on a wall above Renard's title; Lautrec's own monogram is above the the fox's back, like a full moon in a night sky.
The full list of animals depicted by Lautrec and Renard are as follows: 'Coqs'; 'La Pintade'; 'La Dinde'; 'Le Paon'; 'Le Cygne'; 'Canards'; 'Les Pigeons'; 'L'Epervier'; 'La Souris'; 'L'Escargot'; 'L'Araignée'; 'Le Crapaud'; 'Le Chien'; 'Les Lapins'; 'Le Boeuf'; 'L'Ane'; 'Le Cerf'; 'Le Bouc'; 'Les Moutons'; 'Le Taureau'; 'Le Cochon'; 'Le Cheval'.
Also included, inserted loose, is the issue of 'Les Hommes d'Aujourd'hui' for 'De Toulouse-Lautrec' ('No. 460', '9e volume'), with the caricature of Lautrec by Emile Cohl coloured by hand. The caricature depicts Lautrec seated on a stool on top of another stool, palette in hand, painting a portrait of himself; the accompanying text is by Charles Donos.
'This book, one of the great rarities of the late 19th century, was received very poorly when published and did not sell out till 1917. Not only does it contain some of Lautrec's finest illustrations, but it is the prototype of nearly all modern bestiaries.' (The Artist and the Book).
[Wittrock 202 - 224; The Artist and the Book 304].
From the edition limited to 100 copies.
Lautrec had met the well-known writer Jules Renard in 1894, and in 1895 told him he would like to do some illustrations for a book Renard was planning, Histoires Naturelles. The two did not agree on the choice of illustrations or the design, however, and the project took a longtime to materialise. The final result is a collection of rather poignant observations by Renard, each accompanied by a Lautrec illustration. Lautrec's preliminary sketches were begun in 1896 and most of the lithographs executed towards the end of 1898. The pictorial title Lautrec created for the book is a notable visual pun: a fox - the French word for fox, like the surname of the author, is 'renard' - sits on a wall above Renard's title; Lautrec's own monogram is above the the fox's back, like a full moon in a night sky.
The full list of animals depicted by Lautrec and Renard are as follows: 'Coqs'; 'La Pintade'; 'La Dinde'; 'Le Paon'; 'Le Cygne'; 'Canards'; 'Les Pigeons'; 'L'Epervier'; 'La Souris'; 'L'Escargot'; 'L'Araignée'; 'Le Crapaud'; 'Le Chien'; 'Les Lapins'; 'Le Boeuf'; 'L'Ane'; 'Le Cerf'; 'Le Bouc'; 'Les Moutons'; 'Le Taureau'; 'Le Cochon'; 'Le Cheval'.
Also included, inserted loose, is the issue of 'Les Hommes d'Aujourd'hui' for 'De Toulouse-Lautrec' ('No. 460', '9e volume'), with the caricature of Lautrec by Emile Cohl coloured by hand. The caricature depicts Lautrec seated on a stool on top of another stool, palette in hand, painting a portrait of himself; the accompanying text is by Charles Donos.
'This book, one of the great rarities of the late 19th century, was received very poorly when published and did not sell out till 1917. Not only does it contain some of Lautrec's finest illustrations, but it is the prototype of nearly all modern bestiaries.' (The Artist and the Book).
[Wittrock 202 - 224; The Artist and the Book 304].
[50 unnumbered leaves including blanks]. Small folio. (318 x 232 mm). Half-title with justification verso, printed title and Renard's texts, each text ('Coqs', 'La Pintade', 'La Dinde', 'Le Paon' &c.) illustrated with an original full-page monochrome lithograph of the subject with Lautrec's monogram and printed title in bistre, final leaf with printers' credits. Contemporary green morocco-backed marbled boards, matching morocco corners, spine with gilt title and elaborate decorative tooling, marbled endpapers, original publisher's tan printed wrappers with Lautrec's lithograph title with illustration of a fox on a wall to front cover preserved, t.e.g.
#48805
