Meunier Scholl Aurelien (1 results)
More imagesPublished by Ed. Rouveyre et G. Bond, Paris 1884
Seller: Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA), McMinnville, OR, U.S.A.Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA)
Contact seller3-star seller222 x 140 mm. (8 3/4 x 5 1/2"). 58, [2] pp. VERY PRETTY CRIMSON MOROCCO, GILT, BY CHARLES MEUNIER (stamp-signed on front turn-in), covers with border of gilt and decorative rules and frame of branches entwined with a leafy vine, raised bands, spine compartments with floral bouquet at center enclosed by leafy branches and dotted…rules, gilt lettering, turn-ins with gilt floral roll, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed. Original pictorial wrappers bound in. Illustrated with aquarelles by Grivaz, engraved by Arent, on every page. This copy with AN ADDITIONAL SUITE ON JAPON printed in bistre. With an ALS from the author tipped in at front. For the artist, see: Benezit VI, p. 703. Spine a little darkened, faint browning at edges of leaves (as no doubt in all copies) because of paper stock chosen, but A FINE COPY--clean and fresh internally, in a lustrous binding with few signs of wear. Beautifully bound and with delicate vignettes that mingle with the text, this "histoirette bourgeoise" is the story of an adulterous love affair told in verse. When Denise's husband scorns his wife for another woman, she follows suit and takes up a romance of her own. Told from the point of view of Denise's lover, the poem relates how his initial feelings of admiration and desire turn into passion, obsession, and, ultimately, disappointment when Denise decides to return to her husband. Her final message to the narrator hints at the possibility of an "enfant de l'adultaire," saying that if she goes back to her spouse, any child produced by their illicit union would at least have a proper place in a respected household. The etchings, appearing here in two states, are based on watercolors by Swiss artist Eugene Grivaz (1852-1915), whose light, airy style adds a fine sense of romanticism to this work. Legendary among French binders of the late 19th and early 20th centuries for his energy and imagination, Charles Meunier (1865-1940) was apprenticed to Gustave Bénard at the age of 11, worked for a time in the atelier of Marius Michel, and then set up his own studio when he was 20. According to Duncan & De Bartha, he drew "on both traditional and modern techniques and forms of decoration, [mixing] classical punches . . . with newly fashionable incised and modelled leather panels." This eclectic approach did not lead to the kind of popularity enjoyed by some of our binder's most distinguished competitors, and partly as a protest in recognition of this, "Meunier declined to participate in the 1900 Exposition, as he felt that the Grand Prix would automatically be awarded to Marius Michel (which it was). He staged his own show at his studio on the Boulevard Malesherbes and received as much magazine coverage as the participants at the Exposition." Our author, Aurelien Scholl (1833-1902), was a journalist and writer who never backed down from a duel. The New York Times called him "a typical French militant journalist. His love of dignity and scrupulosity regarding the most insignificant points of honor caused him to reach a point where he could wield the sword or pen with equal facility." Scholl was particularly well known for the combative articles he contributed to such papers as Le Figaro and L'Éclair, but as a novelist, poet, and dramatist, he preferred to focus on Parisian bourgeois life, love, and scandals. The present copy contains an undated ALS from Scholl to an unknown gentleman, noting that copies of his "Denise" are completely sold out. No. 18 OF 50 COPIES ON JAPON, from a total edition of 100.
