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Estimate: $ 1,000 - $ 1,500
MUCHA, ALPHONSE; Maurice Pillard Verneuil; and George Auriol. Combinaisons Ornementales se Multipliant a l'Infini a l'Aide du Miroir. 60 color plates by Mucha, Verneuil, and Auriol of Art Nouveau decorative devices and ornamentation that could be used singly or in a repeating or combination pattern with the aid of a small folding mirror (not present). Small oblong folio, plates, title-page, and introduction loose as issued in publisher's decorative boards with cloth ties, boards moderately darkened and with some soiling. Paris: Librairie Centrale des Beaux Arts, [1901]
Mucha had a privileged relationship with the Librairie Centrale des Beaux Arts. When he arrived in Paris in 1890, they were among the first to give him commissions for illustrations. They also published his key theoretical essays, the Documents Lithographiques and the Documents Decoratifs. The Combinaisons Ornementales, which is justifiably considered to be the bible of Art Nouveau decorative elements, is an exceptional collection of Art Nouveau patterns and designs which "se multipliant a l'infini a l'aide du miroir." Created by three artists: Mucha (who designed the title page and ten of the plates), P. Verneuil and G. Auriol, the title page, instructions and 58 separate plates are each in three colors.
