Phosphatine Florian Colored · Carlson Fable Collection

Title

Phosphatine Florian Colored

Description

1910? Ten 7½" x 5¼" cards engraved by Devambez in Paris, picturing and presenting Florian's fables. The pictures are numbered "1" through "10." Each illustration is signed by Maurice Leloir. $35 for the set from Jalilstamps through eBay, April, '07. Several more cards, including the missing #11, from Caveron Devey, Paris, August, '14. Extra copy of "La Mère, l'Enfant et les Sarigues" for $7 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne-Ricouart, France, Sept., '21. Seven extra copies for €20 from Aux Vieux Papier, Anchenoncourt, Oct., '25.

How fortunate to find twelve more -- and perhaps to complete the set! My comments on the first set apply to these cards. "Le Grillon," "La Jeune Poule et le Vieux Renard," and "Le Danseur de Corde et le Balancier" have perhaps the strongest colored illustrations. The last of these wonderfully pictures the falling balancier in mid-air! The floral displays on the versos are here all in red, while they were all in something like a silvery green on the other cards. A good sample of the strong verso illustrations is "Le Danseur de Corde et le Balancier": the fallen artist scratches his perhaps wounded head. The cards are again in very good condition.

1910? Fourteen 7½" x 5¼" cards engraved by Devambez in Paris, picturing and presenting Florian's fables. The pictures are numbered "11" through "24." I presume that the set includes twenty-four cards. Each illustration is signed by Maurice Leloir. 600 Francs for the set from Annick Tilly at the Clignancourt flea market, July, '01. "Les deux Chats" a gift of Bertrand Cocq, Calonne-Ricouart, France, August, '15.&nb

These cards are similar to the La Fontaine set from the same firm, but they are slightly larger, include only a title on the card's front, and treat the illustration borders differently. Each side of each card has "Édité par la Phosphatine Falières" at the top and "Phosphatine Falières, Aliment des Enfants" at the bottom. Borders around the colored illustrations combine picture frames, flowers, and birds. "La Fable et la Verité," "L'Habit d'Arlequin," and "Le Charlatan" have the strongest colored illustrations, perhaps because they are the clearest. Each verso contains its fable text bordered on three sides by a different-colored floral display and below by an attractive black-and-white picture, which I find regularly stronger than the colored illustration. A good sample of the strong verso illustrations is "Les deux Jardiniers." The cards are in very good condition.

Date

1910?

Source

$35 for the set from Jalilstamps through eBay, April, '07. Several more cards, including the missing #11, from Caveron Devey, Paris, August, '14. Extra copy of "La Mère, l'Enfant et les Sarigues" for $7 from Bertrand Cocq, Calonne-Ricouart, France, Sept., '21. Seven extra copies for €20 from Aux Vieux Papier, Anchenoncourt, Oct., '25.

600 Francs for the set from Annick Tilly at the Clignancourt flea market, July, '01. "Les deux Chats" a gift of Bertrand Cocq, Calonne-Ricouart, France, August, '15.&nb