Henri MARTIN

Autograph letter signed by Henri Martin, post-impressionist painter who was the pupil of Jean-Paul Laurens, 35 lines written in black ink.
Central fold inherent to postal mailing.
Henri Martin is sorry to have let himself be carried away by his inspiration when he was supposed to honor a commission, certainly less exciting, placed by the Elysée: "Décidément mon cher ami je ne fais pas ce que je voudrais, cette fois je ne dois en prendre qu'à mon peu de réflexion. Voilà le souvenir des beautés nues à St Circq était tellement intense quand je vous ai écrit et le désir de les peindre me tenaillait tellement que je n'ai pas réfléchi qu'ici j'avais des toiles qu'il était urgent de terminer, tête de fillette, études de paysages en vue de décoration pour l'Elysée, etc..." ("Decidedly my dear friend I am not doing what I would like, this time I can only blame my lack of reflection. The memory of the nude beauties at St Circq was so intense when I wrote to you and the desire to paint them tormented me so much that I did not reflect that here I had canvases that were urgent to finish, head of a young girl, landscape studies for decoration for the Elysée, etc..."), he therefore solicits the indulgence of his correspondent for this delay due to the creative breath of the artist: "Excusez donc mon étourderie et mon enthousiasme, ah, vous l'avez trouvé le beau coin pour peindre et pour rêvasser aussi, l'un n'empêchant pas l'autre d'ailleurs." ("Excuse therefore my thoughtlessness and my enthusiasm, ah, you have found the beautiful spot for painting and for daydreaming too, one not preventing the other moreover.")

First edition of the thesis by one of the most important historians of the 19th century.
Interior foxing also affecting the board margins, two small lacks at head and foot of the warped spine.

Rare original lithograph, executed by Henri Martin for L'Estampe Moderne, series number 15 published in July 1898.
One of 50 deluxe proofs printed on China paper with wide margins, artist's signature in the plate, publisher's dry stamp representing a child's profile in the lower margin, mounted on a sheet of laid paper with the numbered luxury edition stamp on the verso, pale marginal foxing.
Lithograph inspired by an extract from Dante's Divine Comedy.
Magnificent French monthly publication edited between May 1897 and April 1899, L'Estampe Moderne consists of unpublished chromolithographs which, unlike other magazines such as Les Maîtres de l'Affiche and as stipulated on the tissue guards, were specially created by each artist for the magazine. Thus 100 prints appeared in total, covering the major artistic movements of the late 19th century: Symbolism, Art Nouveau, Pre-Raphaelites, Orientalists and Belle Epoque. Each delivery of four prints was issued in 2000 copies sold for 3.50F and 100 on Japan paper offered at 10F. Henri Piazza also planned a confidential very deluxe printing: 50 copies on Japan paper with wide margins and 50 in black on China paper at the considerable price of 30F.
This print of handsome format is superbly printed on one of the most prestigious papers: China paper. "Despite all its qualities, China paper, too inconsistent, owes its reputation not to its own beauty, but rather to its particular affinities with printing ink. Its texture, smooth and soft at once, is more apt than any other to receive a beautiful printing. This property makes China paper sought after for printing engravings..." (Anatole France).
French collectors' interest in artistic posters intensified at the beginning of the 1890s. Octave Uzanne, to qualify this fever, invented the term "affichomanie." The poster, originally popular and posted on the streets of the capital, then became an art object and its ephemeral medium became precious and devoted to conservation.
Piazza decided to remove the poster from its advertising vocation and elevate it to the rank of a complete work of art on the same level as the luxury illustrated book. He thus composed a prestigious collection of entirely original works by the most prominent European artists of the moment: Georges de Feure, Eugène Grasset, Henri Detouche, Emile Berchmans, Louis Rhead, Gaston de Latenay, Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer, Gustave-Max Stevens, Charles Doudelet, Hans Christiansen, Henri Fantin-Latour, Steinlen, Ibels, Engels, Willette, Henri Meunier, Evenepoël, Bellery-Desfontaines, Charles Léandre, etc.
Handsome copy in the symbolist style.

Rare original lithograph, executed by Eugène Trigoulet for L'Estampe Moderne, series number 15 published in July 1898.
One of 50 deluxe proofs printed on China paper with wide margins, artist's signature in the plate, publisher's dry stamp representing a child's profile in the lower margin, mounted on a sheet of laid paper with the numbered luxury edition stamp on the reverse, pale marginal foxing.
Lithograph inspired by an extract from Gustave Flaubert's Chant de la mort.
Magnificent French monthly publication issued between May 1897 and April 1899, L'Estampe moderne consisted of original chromolithographs which, unlike other reviews such as Les Maîtres de l'Affiche and as stipulated on the tissue guards, were created specially by each artist for the review. Thus 100 prints appeared in total, covering the major artistic movements of the late 19th century: Symbolism, Art Nouveau, Pre-Raphaelites, Orientalists and Belle Epoque. Each issue of four prints was printed in 2000 copies sold for 3.50F and 100 on Japan paper offered at 10F. Henri Piazza also planned a confidential deluxe printing: 50 copies on Japan paper with wide margins and 50 in black on China paper at the considerable price of 30F.
This print of handsome format is superbly printed on one of the most prestigious papers: China paper. "Despite all its qualities, China paper, too insubstantial, owes its reputation not to its own beauty, but to its particular affinities with printing ink. Its texture, smooth and soft together, is more suitable than any other for receiving a fine printing. This property makes China paper sought after for printing engravings..." (Anatole France).
French collectors' interest in artistic posters grew in the early 1890s. Octave Uzanne, to describe this fever, invented the term "affichomanie". The poster, originally popular and posted in the streets of the capital, then became an art object and its ephemeral medium became precious and destined for preservation.
Piazza decided to remove the poster from its advertising purpose and elevate it to the rank of a complete work of art on the same level as the luxury illustrated book. He thus composed a prestigious collection of entirely original works by the most prominent European artists of the moment: Georges de Feure, Eugène Grasset, Henri Detouche, Emile Berchmans, Louis Rhead, Gaston de Latenay, Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer, Gustave-Max Stevens, Charles Doudelet, Hans Christiansen, Henri Fantin-Latour, Steinlen, Ibels, Engels, Willette, Henri Meunier, Evenepoël, Bellery-Desfontaines, Charles Léandre, etc.
Handsome copy.