1900 Favole di La Fontaine · Carlson Fable Collection

Title

1900 Favole di La Fontaine

Description

1900 Favole di La Fontaine. Vero Estratto di Carne Liebig. Six cards, each with an animal scene from a fable of La Fontaine attached with a stick-pin to a human scene of children. Sanguinetti #625. Publishers: Liebig Company, Antwerp. £25 from Murray Cards International, Cecil Court, London, August, '97. Extra set for $24 from Pietro Muscara, San Gregorio di Catania, Italy, through Ebay, July, '99.

I could afford this set (marked La Fontaine III) but not the other two La Fontaine sets Murray advertises, since I costs £200 (1883) and II £600 (1896). The face of each card includes a number of elements: "Vero Estratto di Carne Liebig" across its top; two pictures, one set into the other; a cameo of a key character in the lower right; heads of other fable characters along the left side over a can or jar of Liebig meat estract; "Favole di La Fontaine" across the bottom; and the title of the particular fable underneath that. The back of each card, amid lots of information about Liebig, features an illustration of a courtly character and either a recipe or an explanation "how to serve Liebig." See the two examples below. Notice that Liebig here uses Antwerp as its base, while later sets will mention England. Here is a curiosity: the extra set substitutes a French card of OF for the original Italian "I Ladri e l'Asino." I display both here. Click on any card to see it full-size.

Date

1900

Source

£25 from Murray Cards International, Cecil Court, London, August, '97. Extra set for $24 from Pietro Muscara, San Gregorio di Catania, Italy, through Ebay, July, '99.