Jan 29, 2019 - Sale 2497

Sale 2497 - Lot 135

Price Realized: $ 500
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 400 - $ 600
(RASSENFOSSE, ARMAND / RENÉ GONTRAN RANSON.) Baudelaire, Charles. Les Fleurs du Mal. Etched frontispiece portrait of Baudelaire by Rassenfosse and enriched with over 30 pochoir and hand-colored full-page illustrations, vignettes, and text illustrations by Ranson, Signed or initialed in pencil. 4to, contents loose as issued in printed wrappers; uncut and unopened; publisher's board chemise and slipcase, moderate wear. Paris: Dorbon-Ainé, [1930]

Additional Details

Number 10 of 1000 copies of this beautiful illustrated edition of Baudelaire's greatest work, enriched with erotic watercolors by Ranson. Printed on "chiffon de Vincent Montgolfier, filigrane au Bouquineur" in a total edition of 1,050. After serving in the war with fellow artist Édouard Chimot, Ranson settled in Paris and was a prolific illustrator for books, magazines, and newspapers. He also chronicled the city's Cabaret life through his set and costume designs and illustrations, befriending the great couturiers of the time such as Paul Poiret and Jean Patou. Rassenfosse was a disciple of Félicen Rops and went on to become a master lithographer in his own right and a key member of the group of Belgian artists based in Liège. His style revolves around his delicate sense of drawing and his ability to marry flat and half tones together in a fluid image.