Unique Binding from the Library of Estelle Doheny. Les sculptures grotesques et symboliques: Rouen et environs / cent vignettes et texte... par Jules Adeline; préface par Champfleury

Rouen: E. Augé, 1878. Hardcover. Very Good+. 8vo (245 x 160mm). [xvi (preface)], 418pp. (with tables). Pictorial printed wrappers and title printed in red and black. Double etched frontispiece by Jules Adeline. Preface by Champfleury (the pseudonym of writer Jean Fleury [1821-1889]). Édition de luxe, numbered 2 of 220 and initialed by Jules Adeline “JA”; issued as the first 20 on papier de Chine with a double suite of etchings in black and white and sepia. 127 vignettes (forming the 100 pages of vignettes stated on the title) depicting monumental sculpture, capitals, vaults, reliefs, gargoyles, in-text. Bound by E. Quinet in 1883 in full medieval-style cuir-ciselé binding depicting two reliefs on the Cathedral of Rouen: a gothic grotesque hooded man holding staff (front cover) and hybrid dog-like centaur playing fiddle (back cover), spine blind-lettered SCULPTURES GROTESQUES, marbled endpapers, green, gold, and purple silk endbands, gilt edges; (A fine deluxe printing in impeccable form, the binding is a treasure and was made especially for the text, nothing else is quite like it). Ex-libris and oval gilt morocco bookplate of Estelle Doheny on front pastedown.

This is a deluxe issue of the famous monograph written and illustrated by Jules Adeline on the grotesque Gothic sculptures and gargoyles in the region of Rouen. Amply illustrated on fine papier de Chine, it is numbered 2 in the first set of 20, and is initialed by Jules Adeline on the edition leaf. The deluxe edition of this monograph printing is quite rare. This was the “tirage tout spécial” destined for distribution between the author and printer’s circle. By Adeline’s initials, we conclude this copy enjoyed that privileged circulation. Adeline was a fixture in his hometown of Rouen. His career began in architectural sketching, where he developed a keen eye for depicting the monumental sculpture in his native French medieval city. Adeline also worked as a caricaturist and artistic columnist for several newspapers, including the "Journal de Rouen," "Rouen Nouvelliste," and "Le Progrès de Rouen." In particular, this publication dealt with the satirical and symbolic sculptures that he encountered on the winding avenues of Rouen. With contributions from “Champfleury,” a trailblazer of Realism in painting and literature, this work was celebrated for its conclusions in medieval art iconography, mainly that hybrid characters embodied “complex, nuanced, and understated ideas that often resist exact interpretation.” The custom presentation binding of cuir-ciselé, cut-leatherwork, is most exceptional. Not only is it unusual in treatment, but also it incorporates two relief panels from the Cathedral of Rouen in the form of characteristic medieval grotesques. Not much is known about the Parisian binder Quinet, but he can be linked to other bindings of the late-nineteenth century, many described as magnificently gilt. This artisanal binding is unparalleled in its distinctive, medieval-revival leather craftsmanship; it is period to five years of the printing and would have circulated through Jules Adeline himself, perhaps even by his commission.