MAETERLINCK Maurice - GIRALDON Adolphe. La Vie des Abeilles

Paris, Librairie des amateurs, A. Ferroud - F. Ferroud, Succ. 1914-1918
Illustrations by Adolphe Giraldon engraved in color by Ernest Florian.

Large In-8 (262x181 mm) of [2] ff. 258 pp. an unpublished watercolor by Adolphe Giraldon, 3 states of the wood, the decomposition of the colors of a plate.

Half black Moroccan with corner, flat spine with gilded title. Marbled paper guards. Cover preserved.

Leading copy No. 27 on Grand Japon Impérial. Containing 32 watercolors by Adolphe Giraldon engraved on wood in color by Ernest Florian. This very complete book is composed of a frontispiece and 7 chapters each comprising 1 illustrated title page, 1 header and 1 tailpiece. The 2 states in color are bound in the text.



Very beautiful work by Adolphe Giraldon (1855-1933) in which the Marseille artist with a perfectly mastered Art Nouveau style expresses all his virtuosity in ornamental design. The chapter title pieces and the lamp bases, a combination of figurative objects and geometric art nouveau ornaments, perfectly introduce and conclude the chapters. They are like a small visual reward as you read. 



Other examples of this type of ornamentation magnificently executed by the artist can be found in the books "Les Eclogues" or "Les Nuits". In addition to the style of the drawing, we will also recognize the artist's characteristic chromy which introduces a dreamlike atmosphere in most of his books or paintings. 



But the artist's main strength lies in his ability to represent nature in paintings that transport you into colorful and misty atmospheres but with a striking realism. Here, in "La vie des Abeilles" there are scenes of work with hives that pay homage to all the nobility of beekeeping and Maeterlink's text.



Condition : Book in excellent condition. Binding rubbed on the corners and on the headcaps and lower cut. Rubbing at the level of the title under the A.

Sought-after and listed edition. Carteret, 4, 259