signed
1928 · Paris
by SCHMIED, FRANÇOIS-LOUIS, Illustrator. (BINDINGS - MIREILLE MAGNIN). SUETONIUS
Paris: F.-L. Schmied, 1928. No. 57 OF 175 COPIES, SIGNED BY SCHMIED. 290 x 193 mm. (11 1/2 x 7 1/2"). 4 p.l., 8, CCCXXVI [i.e., 326] pp., [4] leaves.
BOLD CONTEMPORARY ART DECO RED MOROCCO, GILT AND INLAID, BY MIREILLE MAGNIN (stamp-signed on front turn-in), covers decorated with multiple gilt and inlaind black morocco lines, inspired by the original printed covers (bound in here) and title page designed by Schmied, title inlaid in balck morocco on upper cover, smooth spine with gilt lettering, turn-ins with gilt rules and inlaid black morocco striped, red and gilt marbled endleaves, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed. In a (slightly soiled) fleece-lined, leather-lipped slipcase. With decorative title and section titles printed in gold, and 23 COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS BY SCHMIED, comprised of nine vignette tailpieces, and 14 full-page plates, including 12 portraits. Front flyleaf with morocco armorial bookplate of Léopold Carteret. Ritchie 26. Black morocco strips on spine just a shade lighter than those on covers, otherwise a virtually pristine copy.
Providing aesthetic pleasure inside and out, this is the Carteret copy, in a very appealing Art Deco binding, of the beautifully illustrated Schmied livre d'artiste version of Suetonius' classic biographies of the first 12 Roman emperors. Immensely talented in all areas of book production, François-Louis Schmied (1873-1941) was one of the most important, original, and active figures in the world of artists' books. He was born and studied in Geneva, moved to Paris at 22 to make a living as a wood engraver, and joined the French Foreign Legion in his mid-40s, losing an eye in the Great War. It was after 1919 that Schmied began to focus primarily on the production of "éditions de luxe," and in the mid-1920s, he and his eldest son Théo managed an atelier that issued a distinguished series of sumptuous works in very small editions, largely for members of elite French bibliophile societies. The illustrations in the present volume place statue-like emperors in front of geometric, stage set-like backgrounds awash with patterns and the kind of muted, warm colors typical of Schmied illustrations. The binding by Mireille Magnin is careful and precise, with the crisp linear motifs matching those on the section titles within the book. Mireille was the daughter of Marius Magnin, who was known for his meticulous mosaic bindings. She joined the family workshop in the 1920s, and ran it until her retirement in 1961. The Roman biographer Suetonius (69-140?) wrote a considerable number of biographies as well as works on antiquities, natural science, and even linguistics, but all that have survived are his "Lives of Famous Men" (in part) and the present "Lives of the 12 Caesars," originally written in 121 A.D. Containing biographies of the Roman rulers from Julius Caesar through Domitian, it has remained of enduring interest mainly because of its material relating to the emperors' often scandalous private lives. Our copy is from the library of bookseller, publisher, and bibliographer Léopold Carteret (1873-1948). As one of the most prominent bibliophiles in Paris, he was called upon to provide expertise for numerous auctions, including the notable Henri Béraldi sale of 1934.. (Inventory #: ST20200)
BOLD CONTEMPORARY ART DECO RED MOROCCO, GILT AND INLAID, BY MIREILLE MAGNIN (stamp-signed on front turn-in), covers decorated with multiple gilt and inlaind black morocco lines, inspired by the original printed covers (bound in here) and title page designed by Schmied, title inlaid in balck morocco on upper cover, smooth spine with gilt lettering, turn-ins with gilt rules and inlaid black morocco striped, red and gilt marbled endleaves, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed. In a (slightly soiled) fleece-lined, leather-lipped slipcase. With decorative title and section titles printed in gold, and 23 COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS BY SCHMIED, comprised of nine vignette tailpieces, and 14 full-page plates, including 12 portraits. Front flyleaf with morocco armorial bookplate of Léopold Carteret. Ritchie 26. Black morocco strips on spine just a shade lighter than those on covers, otherwise a virtually pristine copy.
Providing aesthetic pleasure inside and out, this is the Carteret copy, in a very appealing Art Deco binding, of the beautifully illustrated Schmied livre d'artiste version of Suetonius' classic biographies of the first 12 Roman emperors. Immensely talented in all areas of book production, François-Louis Schmied (1873-1941) was one of the most important, original, and active figures in the world of artists' books. He was born and studied in Geneva, moved to Paris at 22 to make a living as a wood engraver, and joined the French Foreign Legion in his mid-40s, losing an eye in the Great War. It was after 1919 that Schmied began to focus primarily on the production of "éditions de luxe," and in the mid-1920s, he and his eldest son Théo managed an atelier that issued a distinguished series of sumptuous works in very small editions, largely for members of elite French bibliophile societies. The illustrations in the present volume place statue-like emperors in front of geometric, stage set-like backgrounds awash with patterns and the kind of muted, warm colors typical of Schmied illustrations. The binding by Mireille Magnin is careful and precise, with the crisp linear motifs matching those on the section titles within the book. Mireille was the daughter of Marius Magnin, who was known for his meticulous mosaic bindings. She joined the family workshop in the 1920s, and ran it until her retirement in 1961. The Roman biographer Suetonius (69-140?) wrote a considerable number of biographies as well as works on antiquities, natural science, and even linguistics, but all that have survived are his "Lives of Famous Men" (in part) and the present "Lives of the 12 Caesars," originally written in 121 A.D. Containing biographies of the Roman rulers from Julius Caesar through Domitian, it has remained of enduring interest mainly because of its material relating to the emperors' often scandalous private lives. Our copy is from the library of bookseller, publisher, and bibliographer Léopold Carteret (1873-1948). As one of the most prominent bibliophiles in Paris, he was called upon to provide expertise for numerous auctions, including the notable Henri Béraldi sale of 1934.. (Inventory #: ST20200)
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