VIA CRUCIS, OU COLLECTION DE QUATORZE GRAVURES REPRESENTANT LES QUATORZE STATIONS COMMUNEMENT APPELEES: LE CHEMIN DE LA CROIX

(ILLUSTRATED BOOKS - COLORED PLATES, STATIONS OF THE CROSS)

Verlag: Pierron & Bance aîné, Paris, 1813

Beschreibung

267 x 204 mm. (10 1/2 x 8"). 32 pp. (second leaf mispaginated, but text complete). ATTRACTIVE CONTEMPORARY CITRON MOROCCO BY BRADEL L'AINÉ, (binder's ticket on verso of free endpaper), covers with a border of gilt rules, decorative rolls, and repeating garlands and bows, large central gilt stamp of the Crucifix with the Instruments of the Passion, smooth spine divided into compartments with gilt rules, compartments with gilt cross in center and a star in each corner, black morocco label with gilt lettering, gilt turn-ins, light blue silk pastedowns and endleaves. (With expert restorations to corners). WITH 16 ENGRAVED PLATES, ALL FINELY COLORED BY A CONTEMPORANEOUS HAND and with the original tissue guards. Three-line ink call number(?) on blank flyleaf at front. For the binder: Fléty, "Dictionnaire des Relieurs Français," p. 33. â Morocco with many faint little spots (conceivably in the original hide), trivial scuffing and dings, but the original unrestored and finely made binding pleasing in every way. Tissue guards lightly foxed, isolated negligible spots to a couple plates, but remarkably bright and fresh internally, with THE ENGRAVINGS IN ESPECIALLY FINE CONDITION. In a lovely binding by the successor to Derome le jeune, this is a rare devotional work with engravings depicting the Stations of the Cross, also known as the Way of the Cross, or the Via Crucis, heightened with exquisite hand coloring. Through a series of 14 images, we follow Christ's journey from the moment he is condemned to death to his Crucifixion and Entombment. (Two additional related engravings--bringing our total to 16--mark the beginning and end of this traditional cycle of 14 images.) As he suffers under the weight of the cross and bears the abuses of his persecutors, Christ shares poignant moments with his mother, Simon of Cyrene, the women of Jerusalem, and St. Veronica, before finally arriving at the place of execution. Known for his religious scenes, our engraver, Jean Antoine Pierron (1780-1812) depicts each Station of the Cross with great sensitivity, focusing on the emotional experience of the figures and capturing the drama of the moment. Each oval-shaped engraving, measuring 100 mm. tall, leaves an oversized impression on the viewer, thanks to the powerful compositions and exquisite hand coloring. The attractive binding here is by Alexis-Pierre Bradel (often called Bradel l'aîné), the nephew and successor of Derome le jeune and binder to the Bibliothèque Nationale at the end of the 18th century. The restrained design, flawless workmanship, and premium materials make it a fitting binding for the contents. This work appears to be quite rare: RBH finds just one copy, sold in 1919, and OCLC locates only three copies in institutions--two in France (Lyon and the Bibliothèque Nationale), and one in the U.S. (Bridwell Library). Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers ST19297

Bibliografische Details

Titel: VIA CRUCIS, OU COLLECTION DE QUATORZE ...

Verlag: Pierron & Bance aîné, Paris

Erscheinungsdatum: 1813