CROS (Charles). - Lot 65

CROS (Charles). Le Fleuve. Paris: Librairie de L'Eau-forte [Richard Lesclide], [1874-1875]. - In-4, 275x235: 15 pp. printed cover. Bradel half havana morocco with corners, smooth spine, untrimmed, cover preserved (E. Carayon). First separate edition of this poem from Le Coffret de Santal (1873). This book marks a turning point in the history of the illustrated book: it is one of the first painter's books and, above all, the first work entirely illustrated by Édouard MANET (1832-1883). Completed in December 1874, it went on sale in February 1875 (announced in the Bibliographie de la France of February 27, 1875). Charles Cros's Le Fleuve is a grand ode of two hundred alexandrines, a poem of circumstance in which Impressionist aesthetics find a particular echo. Manet's eight etchings (one on the title and 7 in the text), inspired by outdoor scenes, enhance the text and create a perfect harmony between image and poetry. They depict various aspects of nature as seen by the river in its course, from the mountains where it is born to the sea where it is lost. As François Chapon writes in Le Peintre et le livre: "Each of these engravings blends harmoniously with the typography. Their format, always varied, avoids monotony. The predominance of width over height reinforces the impression of horizontality, in harmony with the text. Here, painting and poetry coexist without confusion, each retaining its own power." Mallarmé would evoke between Manet and Cros "a reciprocity of fire". Their bond, born in the late 1860s, ran deep: Manet was best man at Charles Cros's wedding, and the two men shared a friendship for Nina de Callias (1843-1884), Cros's muse and mistress, to whom Le Coffret de Santal was dedicated. She also inspired Manet's La Dame aux éventails (Musée d'Orsay). Charles Cros, brother of sculptor and painter Henry Cros, was himself close to artistic circles. He died prematurely in 1888, aged just 46. Only 100 numbered copies were printed on laid paper, signed by the author and artist at the justification. Copy number 59, from the library of Émile Louis Dominique Calando (1840-1898), a great collector of drawings and art books. It has been enriched with an autograph note on plain paper in ink by Émile Calando (1872-1953), son of Émile Louis Dominique, testifying to the latter's relationship with Charles Cros: "My father Emile Calando, having heard of the subject to be treated for a prize of..., urged Cros to present his Fleuve, which he had already recited to him several times. Cros followed my father's advice. He won the competition & had his poem printed. Manet did the illustrations". A fine copy bound in contemporary style by Émile Carayon (1843-1909). Brown stains on boards. Very good condition inside. Provenance: Émile Louis Dominique Calando. - Émile Calando, with autograph note. - Calando family, by descent.