Vases grecs et étrusques

Saint-Victor, M. (Beauvalet).   25 chromolithographs, 18.5 x 24 cm., (including chromolithograph and watercolour title-page); each plate loosely mounted, with plain protective paper guard No place, no date, Paris? [c.1845]    4to Contemporary full calf, scrolled and decorated gilt, cover lettered gilt Binding lightly rubbed, otherwise a very nice copy  Rare variant edition of an exquisite collection of designs of Greek and Etruscan vases. Inspired by his visits to sites, museums, and private collections in Sicily, Rome, Naples, Pompeii, and Herculaneum, Saint-Victor employed the very finest and delicate of chromolithographic techniques, each colour finely separated, to give a vibrant yet subtle freshness of colour. A larger folio presentation volume comprising 96 plates compiled from fascicules of handmade watercolor, gouache illustrations, were originally available for purchase by subscribers at 32 francs per fascicule.The designs includes: wine carriers, water pitchers, a horned drinking cup, a trophy, olive oil carriers, bowls, urns, vases and various drinking vessels. Half the designs are Attica black-figured and red-figured, featuring scenes from Greek mythology, or showing scrolled and floral designs. The remaining, coloured a deep yet delicate blue-black, green with a burnished hue are more unusual: several feature scaly snakes, sinewy eels, centaurs, Venetian masks and sphinxes as handles; a bulbous scalloped urn rests on rather sinister green clawed feet; yet another, a deep-bottom pot on ball feet, depicts a bizarre hybrid zebra/gazelle, whilst another shows a matronly figure performing an athletic hand-stand. The colour and fluidity of shape of these latter suggest that the intended them to be modelled in cast-iron. “To the progressively minded, cast iron commended itself as a modern material, while to the pragmatic it was attractive because of its robustness and relative cheapness. Elaborate carving and ornament could be produced much more economically in iron than in wood, and then painted to imitate it or bronze' (Campbell).See Campbell, Decorative Ironwork, p.98. 

Price: £2500