Menard

1897 · 73907 — Paris: Imprimerie Champenoispour CH. MassonH. Piazza 1897. Fine. Imprimerie Champenois pour CH. Masson H. Piazza Paris Mai 1897 33 x 24.50 cm une feuille Rare original lithograph executed by René Ménard for L'Estampe Moderne series number 1 published in May 1897. One of 50 deluxe proofs printed on China paper with wide margins artist's signature in the plate publisher's dry stamp depicting a child's profile in the lower margin mounted on a sheet of laid paper with the numbered stamp of the deluxe issue on the verso some foxing. Magnificent French monthly publication issued between May 1897 and April 1899 L'Estampe moderne consists of original chromolithographs which unlike other periodicals such as Les Maîtres de l'Affiche and as stipulated on the tissue guards were created specially by each artist for the review. Thus 100 prints appeared in total covering the major artistic movements of the late 19th century: Symbolism Art Nouveau Pre-Raphaelites Orientalists and Belle Epoque. Each issue of four prints was produced in 2000 copies sold for 3.50F and 100 on Japan paper offered at 10F. Henri Piazza also planned a confidential deluxe printing: 50 copies on Japan paper with wide margins and 50 in black on China paper at the considerable price of 30F. This print in a handsome format is superbly printed on one of the most prestigious papers: China paper. ""Despite all its qualities China paper too insubstantial owes its reputation not to its own beauty but rather to its particular affinities with printing ink. Its texture smooth and soft at once is more suited than any other to receive a fine impression. This property makes China paper sought after for printing engravings."" Anatole France. The interest of French collectors in artistic posters grew at the beginning of the 1890s. Octave Uzanne to describe this fever invented the term ""affichomanie."" The poster originally popular and pasted in the streets of the capital then became an art object and its ephemeral medium became precious and destined for preservation. Piazza decided to remove the poster from its advertising purpose and elevate it to the rank of a complete work of art on the same level as the luxury illustrated book. He thus composed a prestigious collection of entirely original works by the most prominent European artists of the moment: Georges de Feure Eugène Grasset Henri Detouche Emile Berchmans Louis Rhead Gaston de Latenay Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer Gustave-Max Stevens Charles Doudelet Hans Christiansen Henri Fantin-Latour Steinlen Ibels Engels Willette Henri Meunier Evenepoël Bellery-Desfontaines Charles Léandre etc. Handsome copy in the symbolist style of the artist. Imprimerie Champenoispour CH. MassonH. Piazza unknown