1996? 32 colored woodcuts after watercolors by Henry LeMarié, engraved by hand by Jean Taricco. Printed on Velin de Rives in the studio of Editions d'Art Les Heures Claires in Paris. Beautifully mounted and presented in two elaborate boxes. Signed in pencil? €450 from Plazzart, Paris, Sept, '20.
I have found LeMarié's miniatures delightful since I first saw them. This set is gorgeously presented. They seem to reproduce the illustrations in LeMarié's edition of 1996, over which I have expressed my delight. I wanted to include LeMarié's "Cobbler and Banker" in the Joslyn exhibit, but the art is too small. As I learn more now, I wonder how this kind of colorful work can be done on woodblocks. How many passes does it take on the poor piece of paper? I see this set of prints as an excellent showpiece for the collection. Jean Taricco engraved some 2200 pieces of wood necessary for the reproduction of the aquarelles of Henry LeMarié. Apparently some 30 colors were applied.
2017 Jeu de 7 familles: Les fables de La Fontaine. Artist: Leila Brient. Éditions Lito. $10.25 from Amazon, August, '20 and again one week later.
There are many forms of "Jeu de 7 familles." This is a lovely version dedicated to seven of La Fontaine's most popular fables. The special feature of this version is the way that the six cards in each family build a continuous picture. The six cards allow the whole verse fable to be told, and one card fits very well with the next. Tres joli!
1818? 35 Lithographs by LeComte, Vernet, Engelmann and Mauraisse from about 1817 through 1820. Mostare 14½" x 10½". $80 from jordanb2011 through Ebay, Jan., '21.
Engelmann seems to be the engraver for many of these. I have assigned him authorship for those not signed by LeComte or Vernet. These seem to be pages from a book in our collection, "Fables choisies De La Fontaine ornees de figures lithographiques" from 1818, published by Engelmann.
2000? "Learning Centers Club: Fables and Tall Tales." Boxed set of teacher's aids for teaching writing and math for grades 4-5.
Cataloguing this set of teacher's aids may set a record in this collection, as it has waited for eight years! What I now find inside the box are three envelopes and two posters, each about 11" x 17". Two of the three envelopes seem to offer helps in math and writing. A third envelope is titled "Presenting the Fable Fella."
2012 le vieil homme & les fables. France télévisions – amopix. Conception graphique Mathieu Rolin. Droits graphiques Jean Bastian Éditions Majb. €20 at Majb Antiques, Strasbourg, July, '19.
Here are some 21 brief and very creative presentations of La Fontaine's fables. The disc which they make up is a favorite of mine! The premise is that Jean Bastian, who did indeed produce a book of La Fontaine's fables, is drawing at his desk. As he works on the coloring of each fable's illustration, the fable takes life in his atelier. There are great touches of imagination here, as when MM finishes with a cracked pot and puddle in the middle of Jean's rug, or when a small statue falls at the end of 2P as is smashed in the floor, or when finally FG ends with grapes growing around Jean's atelier! Those wanting a first sample of these short videos might do well to watch WL. I am so happy that I noticed the book in this antique store's window. I returned later when they were open and had a chat with the grandson (?) of Jean Bastian, former owner of the store. I bought Jean's book – which I cannot find right now! – and the DVD.
1920? Two crayon-colored cards advertising "Le Sirop de Gaïarsol." FS and WL. Illustrated by Benjamin Rabier. "Image a colorier." Laboratoires Bouty, Paris. €4 each at St. Ouen, August, '15. And nineteen uncolored trade cards from Le Sirop de Gaïarsol, a product of Laboratoires Bouty, Paris. A larger black-and-white image by Benjamin Rabier and a colored small image as model. One duplicate: "Bird and Rabbit." $90 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne Ricouart, France, Sept., '18.
After finding the two colored cards, I noted that Rabier is easily distinguished by the smile -- or smirk? -- on the fox's face in FS. Ten of the uncolored cards picture known fables. I will display them at the top of the second table below. Others may well be drawn from the diverse other children's books Rabier created. The combination of cheap paper, large cartoon, and small colored portion is unique, in my experience. Each card proclaims that this remedy "calms a cough, disinfects the bronchi, fortifies the organism." The verso has two forms, both giving "Conseils d'hygiène familiale." OF, "Two Goats," and "Two Rats with an Egg" are other vintage displays of Rabier's wit! The series is replicated in a set of leaflets using the same images in a different format.
1890? 1 French card, "Le Singe du Buffon," from Chocolat Besnier, Le Mans. Just over 2¾" x just over 4". Lith. Parisienne, Rue Courbeau, Paris. Unknown source, August, '01.
This full-color portrait-formatted card has an image framed with a blue line, with four gold-and-blue corners like old photo-holders from albums. It is marked "1", and has its title on the picture side. The verso is given completely to advertising Besnier's chocolate. The boldest boast is "1re Marque Française."
1900? "Série de 12 Fables éditées spécialement pour Le Royal Chocolat." "Two Doves" and "Oyster and the Litigants." €3.75 each from victorbrauner on Ebay, Sept., '23
This version of "Two Doves" seems now to me, but I believe I have seen this version of "Oyster and the Litigants" somewhere before. The format here is different from the format for cards also marked "Le Royal Chocolat" but listed under "Le Royal and Chocolat Poulain." Is there anything in La Fontaine's text for "Two Doves" that requires a romantic or even sexually romantic relationship between the two birds?
1896? 1 French card picturing OF in a human scene of a boy smoking a cigar just as a tycoon does. Chocolat de la Havane is advertised on the verso, available at pharmacies. €2.99 from loccaz through Ebay, Jan., '23.
I am not sure that I understand this scene, perhaps along the Seine. The image of the strutting tycoon is delightful; I am less sure how to read the "cadet" dwarf beside him! It was not easy to find the two matches for this card in the collection, both from different chocolate suppliers.
1896? 1 similar French card picturing the same scene but this time advertising Chocolat Poulain. €8 from Albert van den Bosch, Antwerp, June, '23.
I so enjoy the fun of this scene, and the fun expressed in this series of cards! It also struck me as a great example of seeing the same card used by two different companies.
1896? 1 French card picturing FG in a human scene of a poor father condemning jewelry before his daughter. Le Royal Chocolat. Lavril & Cie, Saint-Aquilin de Pacy. Printer not acknowledged. 4¼" x 2½". 60 Francs from Annick Tilly, Clignancourt flea market, August, '99.
The scene of disdain at the Joaillerie is delightful, as this plaid-jacketed and bearded man puts down what he cannot have. The back is full of information, including the fact that Le Royal Chocolat won the grand price at the Bordeaux International Exposition in 1896. Royal Chocolat has created a truly hygienic chocolate! There is also a price-list, for those who want to know how little a good candy bar cost in the 1890's.
1896? 1 French card picturing DS in a human scene. Chocolat Poulain. Printer not acknowledged. 4¼" x 2½". St. Ouen, August, '13.
I am not sure I understand the human application of DS here. Has the child sacrificed a toy, or has the man with the cane given up a real child for a toy? A policeman hurries to the scene. I believe I have found Poulain sponsoring four different kinds of fable cards. The verso has the text of La Fontaine's fable and identifies it as such. The style of these two cards seems similar enough to suspect that they are part of a stock set.
2015 Le petit Théâtre de La Fontaine: 8 Fables a Jouer Masqués. Agnes de Lestrade and Gloria Pizzilli. Tirage No. 1. Paperbound. Paris: Seuil Jeunesse: Éditions du Seuil. $23.91 from Stars and Stripes Bookstore through Amazon.com, May, '16.
There are eight masks here, two to a page, ready to fall out of the die-cut page and be worn. They are: lamb and dog; crow and hare; tortoise and lion; wolf and fox. The masks come with a fine book of eight fables and twenty good scripts of parts to play. The masks themselves are colorful, dramatic, well conceived, and well constructed. My prizes go to the fox, wolf, lion, and hare. This is a wonderful use of La Fontaine's fables! I will keep the whole set with the books.
