Retour de Crimée, together with a collection of similar plates.
By LIÈVRE, Édouard.
First edition of this exceptionally rare humorous series of hand-coloured lithographs depicting children in the roles of French soldiers returning from the Crimean War. The child-soldiers engage in drinking, smoking and fighting, as well as in touching reunions with their sweethearts, family and wartime comrades. The complete suite is here complemented with similar hand-coloured lithographs from other publications by Lièvre, as rare, featuring some "military fantasies" and charming genre scenes the later with captions and ornamental frames printed in gilt. Of great rarity: we could not trace any copy of Retour de Crimée at auction in the last decades and we could locate only two examples in public institutions worldwide (Baltimore and BnF). We handled another copy a few years ago without the other plates present in this volume though. Edouard Lievre (1829-86), known for his lithographs of children engaging in adult behaviour, produced a companion volume to Retour de Crimée, entitled En Crimée, as well as volumes on art and furniture. An artist with many talents, Lièvre was also a painter and later developed a successful career as a furniture designer and ornamentist. Description and Bibliographical references: Landscape folio. Black and white genre lithograph plate, 15 hand-coloured lith. plates by Lièvre (Retour de Crimée), [5] hand-col. lith. by Lièvre (Fantaisies militaires, no. 1-3, 5 and 6) and [5] hand-col. lith. by Lièvre with ornamental frame and caption printed in gold (Matin no. 3, Soir no. 4, Bouderie no. 8, Leçon de Danse no. 9 and La Leçon de Musique no. 10) in all 26 lithographed plates, including 25 by Lièvre with original hand-colour; Retour de Crimée without lith. title, otherwise complete, occasional foxing. Contemporary brown morocco spine with raised bands, lettered in gilt, over burgundy pebble grained cloth; a bit worn. BNF, Département des Estampes, Inventaire du Fonds Français après 1800, XIV, p. 326-7, 4.
Published by: Godard and Lemercier for Martine c.1855, Paris, 1855
Vendor: PY Rare Books
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By LIÈVRE, Édouard.
First edition of this exceptionally rare humorous series of hand-coloured lithographs depicting children in the roles of French soldiers returning from the Crimean War. The child-soldiers engage in drinking, smoking and fighting, as well as in touching reunions with their sweethearts, family and wartime comrades. The complete suite is here complemented with similar hand-coloured lithographs from other publications by Lièvre, as rare, featuring some "military fantasies" and charming genre scenes the later with captions and ornamental frames printed in gilt. Of great rarity: we could not trace any copy of Retour de Crimée at auction in the last decades and we could locate only two examples in public institutions worldwide (Baltimore and BnF). We handled another copy a few years ago without the other plates present in this volume though. Edouard Lievre (1829-86), known for his lithographs of children engaging in adult behaviour, produced a companion volume to Retour de Crimée, entitled En Crimée, as well as volumes on art and furniture. An artist with many talents, Lièvre was also a painter and later developed a successful career as a furniture designer and ornamentist. Description and Bibliographical references: Landscape folio. Black and white genre lithograph plate, 15 hand-coloured lith. plates by Lièvre (Retour de Crimée), [5] hand-col. lith. by Lièvre (Fantaisies militaires, no. 1-3, 5 and 6) and [5] hand-col. lith. by Lièvre with ornamental frame and caption printed in gold (Matin no. 3, Soir no. 4, Bouderie no. 8, Leçon de Danse no. 9 and La Leçon de Musique no. 10) in all 26 lithographed plates, including 25 by Lièvre with original hand-colour; Retour de Crimée without lith. title, otherwise complete, occasional foxing. Contemporary brown morocco spine with raised bands, lettered in gilt, over burgundy pebble grained cloth; a bit worn. BNF, Département des Estampes, Inventaire du Fonds Français après 1800, XIV, p. 326-7, 4.
Published by: Godard and Lemercier for Martine c.1855, Paris, 1855
Vendor: PY Rare Books
