Anonymous (frédéric Bernard?) - Versailles - Copy Extra-illustrated With 12 Drawings
Paris, L. Hachette et cie, 1853. 18mo (145 x 100 mm), 2 leaves + 49 pp., half green morocco, spine with 4 false nerves, fillet frame on boards, title on upper board, initials on lower, case (period binding).
Proof copy extra-illustrated with 12 original ink drawings of very fine quality, mounted over engravings. Blue wet stamp on title: "Direction de l'imprimerie et de la librairie / MINISTÈRE DE LA POLICE GÉNÉRALE".
Enigmatic edition: there exists a more substantial edition published same year in "Bibliothèque des chemins de fer / Guide des voyageurs", titled Le Château, le parc et les grandes eaux de Versailles attributed to Frédéric Bernard (journalist, 1820-1868), with 2 leaves + 107 pp. and 3 folding leaves. Present edition, anonymized, concerns only park and monuments, omitting châteaux. Some engravings appear before signature; title page bears "ouvrage illustré" (versus "ouvrage illustré / de 20 gravures" in BnF copy). Everything indicates a proof copy.
12 remarkable original drawings: 7 largely repeat engraved images with variations (portraits and scenes mirrored, different framing, water effects shown on fountains and basins while absent from engravings). 5 landscape drawings of gardens entirely different from concealed engravings. Plus 1 drawing identical to engraving, 1 drawing reused for opening initial, 1 drawing at end, 1 captioned engraving mounted, 2 inserted hors-texte engraved plates.
Possible attribution: Charles-Edouard Elmerich (1816-1889)? Student of Horace Vernet, specialized in genre scenes, landscapes and allegorical subjects. Works as draftsman for arms manufacturer before studying at Académie Suisse de Paris. Elmerich signs 15 of 20 engravings in published edition (with engravers Pouget, Sotain and H. G.). 6 engravings visible in our copy, 2 without Elmerich signature (present in BnF copy). Added drawings could be rejected drawings.
Historical context: Mid-19th century, Grandes Eaux spectacle attracted nearly 60,000 onlookers eight to ten times per summer. Suggested promenade allows "visiting basins in order in which waters successively play" (p. 6).
Provenance: "E. R.": period initials on lower board. Unidentified.
Condition: foxing more or less present except on drawings, rubbing to case.
Proof copy extra-illustrated with 12 original ink drawings of very fine quality, mounted over engravings. Blue wet stamp on title: "Direction de l'imprimerie et de la librairie / MINISTÈRE DE LA POLICE GÉNÉRALE".
Enigmatic edition: there exists a more substantial edition published same year in "Bibliothèque des chemins de fer / Guide des voyageurs", titled Le Château, le parc et les grandes eaux de Versailles attributed to Frédéric Bernard (journalist, 1820-1868), with 2 leaves + 107 pp. and 3 folding leaves. Present edition, anonymized, concerns only park and monuments, omitting châteaux. Some engravings appear before signature; title page bears "ouvrage illustré" (versus "ouvrage illustré / de 20 gravures" in BnF copy). Everything indicates a proof copy.
12 remarkable original drawings: 7 largely repeat engraved images with variations (portraits and scenes mirrored, different framing, water effects shown on fountains and basins while absent from engravings). 5 landscape drawings of gardens entirely different from concealed engravings. Plus 1 drawing identical to engraving, 1 drawing reused for opening initial, 1 drawing at end, 1 captioned engraving mounted, 2 inserted hors-texte engraved plates.
Possible attribution: Charles-Edouard Elmerich (1816-1889)? Student of Horace Vernet, specialized in genre scenes, landscapes and allegorical subjects. Works as draftsman for arms manufacturer before studying at Académie Suisse de Paris. Elmerich signs 15 of 20 engravings in published edition (with engravers Pouget, Sotain and H. G.). 6 engravings visible in our copy, 2 without Elmerich signature (present in BnF copy). Added drawings could be rejected drawings.
Historical context: Mid-19th century, Grandes Eaux spectacle attracted nearly 60,000 onlookers eight to ten times per summer. Suggested promenade allows "visiting basins in order in which waters successively play" (p. 6).
Provenance: "E. R.": period initials on lower board. Unidentified.
Condition: foxing more or less present except on drawings, rubbing to case.
1 600 €
Period: 19th century
Style: Napoleon 3rd
Condition: Excellent condition
Reference (ID): 1660632
Availability: In stock
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