Fables de La Fontaine
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Authors
de La Fontaine, Jean
Tastu, Amable
Trichon, François Auguste
Issue Date
1850
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Issue
Type
Book, Whole
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Abstract
Front cover is separated. Covers and spine were once apparently impressive. Front cover has an embossed gold shrine to La Fontaine and back has embossed WL. Spine has medallions of La Fontaine above and Aesop below a panel resembling Grandville's FC. Tastu, Bouchot, and Trichon are not in Bassy or Bodemann. Nattily dressed animals in very expressive poses, as the slipsheeted frontispiece of DW immediately shows. WL (46) is discolored with both blue and foxing, but is strongly dramatic. It is the design used on the back cover. Others show less discoloration: FS (57); LM (78); UP (64); The Wolf Become Shepherd (100); FG (111); The Ass and the Little Dog (129); BF (a favorite of mine, 135); FWT (163); The Stag and the Vine (173); The Stag Seeing Himself in the Water (another favorite of mine, 191); The Fowler, The Hawk, and the Lark (197); MM (229); The Cobbler and the Banker (251); The Bear and the Lover of Gardens (with a great fly on the nose, 264); The Monkey and the Cat (327); The Fish and the Flute-playing Shepherd (355); The Wolf and the Fox (380); and The Wolf, the Fox, and the Horse (429). FG has a monkey lass standing in front of a ladder and holding a basket of grapes in one hand and a bunch in the other, while the fox shows a gesture of aversion. I have seen this illustration of The Wolf and the Fox (380) somewhere before; it has a very playful fox, who may even be thumbing his nose at the wolf down in the well! Several illustrations unfortunately have writing in red pen right on the picture. The images are very much in the tradition of Grandville. They are different from his illustrations in adding a tan background against which pure whites can stand out. The book ends with a table of authors from whom La Fontaine has drawn subjects and an AI. 456 pages.
Description
Citation
Publisher
P.-C. Lehuby
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Issue
PubMed ID
DOI
Identifier
3164 (Access ID)