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GUINEVERE.
([New Rochelle]: [Printed by the University Press for] George D. Sproul, 1902). 270 x 210 mm. (10 5/8 x 8 3/8"). [50] leaves (last blank). No. 23 OF 30 COPIES (18 for America, 12 for Europe; this copy illuminated for Herman A. Metz) of the "St. Dunstan Edition," all of them PRINTED ON VELLUM.
SUMPTUOUS COBALT BLUE MOROCCO, GILT AND INLAID TO AN ARABESQUE DESIGN BY TRAUTZ-BAUZONNET (stamp-signed on front doublure), covers framed in gilt and inlaid brown morocco blossoms, central panel of azure blue morocco outlined in brown morocco, large central medallion enclosed in brown morocco and inlaid with an eight-pointed inlaid and gilt fleuron, each corner with tan and ivory morocco medallion with gilt "T" at center, outlined in brown morocco, the spaces between the medallions with curling gilt flourishes, raised bands, spine compartments with gilt lettering framed by sprays of gilt berries, SKY BLUE MOROCCO DOUBLURES inlaid with darker blue squares containing an ivory morocco polygon , these forming a frame around a central taupe morocco panel with inlaid blue morocco flowers at corners, vellum free endleaves painted with a simple blue frame, small flowers at each corner, all edges gilt. BEAUTIFULLY ILLUMINATED BY ROSS TURNER, the title page and final page with heraldic emblems, and WITH 51 LOVELY INITIALS in a range of hues, 22 with delicate extensions. Printed entirely in majuscules on rectos only. A couple of small, faint water spots to upper board, with slight dulling (where someone tried to fix these?), naturally occurring variations in the grain and color of the vellum, otherwise A FINE COPY--the vellum creamy and smooth, the colors and gilt bright, and the binding lustrous.
A bookmaking tour-de-force, this item is part of the remarkable St. Dunstan series of famous works of literature produced at the turn of the century in very strictly limited and particularly luxurious editions by publisher George Sproul. Named for the English bishop Dunstan (909-88), who was known for his skills as an illuminator, the St. Dunstan volumes were printed on vellum, illuminated by different artists, and then put into bindings of striking design executed by Trautz-Bauzonnet, one of the premier French binders of the period. While the physical properties of this volume announce themselves more emphatically than the text, the narrative here is from Tennyson's "Idylls of the King," a work, Day tells us, in which the legend of King Arthur is used "to establish the Victorian virtues of marital faithfulness, fair play, gentlemanly conduct, and useful action for self and society." "Guinevere" sets forth the consequences of marital infidelity, presenting a penitent queen, now withdrawn to a convent, groveling for Arthur to pardon her affair with Lancelot. Although the injured king grants her forgiveness, he does so with little grace, appearing to modern readers as "insufferably self-righteous." (Day) Reminiscent of the designs used in 15th century illuminated books, the painted initials in our volume are well executed and attractive, combining fluid shapes and consonant combinations of colors, and the binding is a singularly elaborate achievement. German-born binder Georges Trautz (1807-79) apprenticed in Heidelberg, Stuttgart, and Witemberg before arriving in Paris in 1803. There, he trained in “dorure” with the skilled gilder Debès, learning to create intricate gilt designs on bindings. In 1833, he was hired as a doreur by Bauzonnet, the successor to the celebrated Purgold, and soon achieved acclaim for his beautifully gilded bindings. According to Michon, he was "the uncontested master of the luxury binding" in 19th century France, celebrated for his "sumptuous moroccos" and "dazzling gilt." His bindings were so sought after that the term "Trautzolâtrie" was coined to describe the craze for his work. In 1869, he became the first bookbinder to be named a chevalier of the Legion of Honor. The culmination (and termination) of the St. Dunstan books was a planned edition of 15 sets of the complete works of Dickens, projected to contain 130 large folio volumes—surely the most ambitious undertaking in the history of modern American fine printing. Five volumes only (comprising most of "Pickwick") were produced before the grandeur of the project overwhelmed its sponsors. Potter says that in addition to the Dickens edition, the St. Dunstan series comprised a dozen volumes of the works of various authors (one of them the present Tennyson), issued to subscribers at the spectacular amount of $12,000 per set. One of the subscribers was our original owner, New York chemical manufacturer and U.S. Congressman Herman A. Metz (1867-1934). Not surprisingly, this strictly limited "Guinevere" is quite rare: We could trace just two copies at auction since 1975 (one of them ours, sold in 1998). . (ST20771)
Price: $18,000.00