[Édouard MANET - MALLARMÉ]. - Lot 33

Lot n° 33
Go to lot
Estimation :
6000 - 8000 EUR
[Édouard MANET - MALLARMÉ]. - Lot 33
[Édouard MANET - MALLARMÉ]. Le Corbeau, 1875. Famous head of Le Corbeau, cut from the in-folio parchment cover of the first edition of Edgar Poe's Le Corbeau translated by Stéphane Mallarmé, with "illustrations" by Édouard Manet. Paris, Richard Lesclide, May 20 [= June 4] 1875. First fruitful collaboration with Mallarmé, whose friendship would not end until the painter's death. Justified edition of 240 copies, of which no more than 150 were executed, plus one Japon. Too expensive to produce, it sold poorly, bankrupting the publisher. In 1889, Vanier still offered unsold copies at 25 fr. (see 53/2). It included 6 autographs in wash on transfer paper printed by Lefman, including 4 full-page plates on China paper, an "ex libris" with the Raven with spread wings on a half flyleaf and the sole head of the Raven in the center of the 1st cover, the latter two on parchment paper. Marcel Guérin explains: "On a certain number of these sheets, the Raven's head was cut out and glued to a cardboard box containing the publication in a more solid manner. This illustrated cardboard was sold for 5 francs". Several copies of the unglued head exist on parchment paper (parchment known as Guérin) in the collections of Moreau-Nélaton (BnF), Dunoyer de Segonzac... On October 26, 1887, Mallarmé, at odds with Vanier, who had in fact bought back from Derenne the unsold copies of Le Faune (see next item), "asked him for parchment covers of Le Corbeau avec tête d'oiseau lithographiée, for which you are indebted to me" (Marchal Corr. 854). Was Rops satisfied with a cover, and did he receive it in 1887, when he was making the frontispiece for the photolithographed Poésies? (cf. 46). Reference: Marcel Guérin, L'Œuvre gravé de Manet, no. 85 - Galantaris 2014 no. 319. Analysis of the latest state of research on the edition (more succinct in Christie's cat. of 4/11/2014 no. 206). Provenance: Félicien Rops, Demi-Lune, Corbeil-Essonnes. Rops coll. stamp on verso.
My orders
Sale information
Sales conditions
Return to catalogue