Artists' first edition drawings, preparatory studies, sketches, China ink and signed watercolors

No publisher, no place, no date [1885–1890]. Quarto (32.5 × 23 cm), 1 blank leaf and 49 unnumbered leaves. Contemporary half red percaline over corners, smooth spine covered in red shagreen, pebble-grain paper-covered boards, blue paper endpapers.

An exceptional collection of 49 original unsigned watercolours, each measuring approximately 20 × 15 cm within the margins, finely executed in Indian ink and watercolour with gouache highlights, mounted on guards. Several leaves bear the watermark "Latune et Cie Blacons", that of a paper mill in the Drôme region active throughout the final third of the nineteenth century. Rubbing to the spine, a few marginal...

[CONSTANTINOPLE] Exceptional album of 54 original caricatures, some captioned, executed in India ink, pencil and watercolour, together with three small pencil drawings on loose leaves. Undated [circa 1872-1873]. Small oblong folio, 47 pp., 40.5 x 27.9 cm. Contemporary overlapping ivory vellum, smooth spine with red rules, a tear at the head of the spine skilfully restored, red fillet border to the boards, a few stains to the covers, comb-marbled endpapers, red edges.

New edition and the first printing of Jacques Tardi’s illustrations.
Publisher’s white boards, smooth spine.
A handsome copy.
Presentation inscription, dated and signed by Jacques Tardi to Joëlle Passani, with an original black-felt drawing depicting a sorrowful-faced Bardamu in a small vignette.
 

First edition, one of 25 copies on handmade laid paper, numbered and justified by the publisher, the only deluxe issue.
 
Bradel binding in half chocolate-brown morocco with corners, smooth spine, gilt date at foot, marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, illustrated wrappers by Manuel Orazi and backstrip preserved.
Work illustrated with 136 black and colour drawings, in- and out-of-text, by Georges Bottini.
 
Bookplate mounted.
 
Our copy is enriched with a full-page original drawing, signed by Georges Bottini and heightened in black ink, depicting Jacques Beaudarmon wearing a bowler hat and conversing with the « môme...

Edition illustrated with 16 original watercolours by Auguste Leroux, engraved on copper by Delzers and Feltesse, one of 90 numbered copies on Imperial Japan paper.
Bound in navy blue half morocco with corners, spine with four raised bands decorated with gilt pointillé and triple gilt panels with typographic motifs, gilt date at foot, gilt fillet borders on marbled paper boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, original wrappers and spine preserved, gilt edges, contemporary binding signed by Bernasconi. 
As stated in the justification of the print run for the copies on Imperial Japan paper, our copy is complete with its two suites: one in colour with remarques and the other in...

First edition, one of 300 numbered copies signed and justified by Frans de Geetere, reserved for the friends of La Marie-Jeanne, the only copies printed on deluxe paper.
As stated in the limitation, our copy is complete with a manuscript leaf from the work and an original drawing by the author depicting two reclining nude women, signed by him.
A desirable copy, complete with its rare promotional wraparound band: "le livre qu'aucun éditeur n'a osé publier".

Five compositions in Indian ink signed and dated 1923 by George Barbier on a leaf of thick paper. Traces of paper pasted down at the four corners on the back, a few very faint traces of previous pencil inscriptions on the front.

An exceptional ink drawing by the eminent fashion illustrator George Barbier for the “Elegances” section of the newspaper La Vie Parisienne, featuring four silhouettes at the height of 1920s fashion, with boyish haircuts, dressed in flowing, low-waisted tube dresses or wrapped in luxurious furs.

Autograph letter signed by Jacques Mesrine, dated Wednesday 29 December 1976,  addressed to Jeanne Schneider, his love interest of the time. She smuggled out of prison the manuscript of his famous autobiography L'Instinct de mort. 66 lines in blue ink on two pages of a leaf. In the top left-hand corner of the letter, Jacques Mesrine has drawn a bouquet of flowers in multicoloured felt-tip pens. Usual horizontal fold, small tear to the fold in the right-hand margin.
Jacques Mesrine, who was in Fleury-Mérogis prison at the time, was delighted to receive so much proof of love and friendship in the many letters he received from his friends and family.
He, in...

Original drawing in graphite and blue and pink colored pencils signed by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, on a sheet of watermarked paper "Navarre". Horizontal fold.

One of Saint-Exupéry's quirky characters in a suit and bow tie, spawn from the baroque and overflowing imagination of the Little Prince's author. The writer-aviator-artist very rarely signed his graphic works.




 
 
 

Original drawing with graphite, blue and pink colored pencils signed by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, on a sheet of watermarked paper “Navarre”. Hor­izontal fold, pencil annotation in the upper left margin, very small loss of paper in the lower right margin.

A remarkable caricature signed by Saint-Exupéry, akin to a cartoon character. The writer-aviator-artist very rarely signed his graphic works.

First edition, adorned with a portrait frontispiece, drawn in ink and signed Dalex. The polychrome drawing is set within a frame traced in brown ink and accompanied by the Latin motto "gratia in me vacua non fuit" as well as the legend "Messire Jean d'Aranthon". An engraved head-piece depicting Christ and angels, with a few further head- and tail-pieces.

Contemporary brown calf, spine with five raised bands, gilt title, gilt compartments and fleurons between the bands, inner gilt dentelle. Binding lightly rubbed, with some abrasions and losses, the joint of the upper board slightly split at the head, a few light foxing marks to the leaves, some marginal dampstaining, blank...

First edition, one of 85 numbered copies printed on Arches wove paper, this being one of the 15 deluxe copies issued with an additional suite of the 7 original drypoints and 8 rejected drypoints on Auvergne paper, all individually numbered and signed in pencil by Brigitte Simon, from the deluxe issue.

The upper cover lightly and uniformly sunned.
Fine copy, complete with its original grey cloth chemise and slipcase.
Illustrated with 7 original drypoints by Brigitte Simon.
Claude Esteban and Brigitte Simon's handwritten signatures beneath the limitation statement.

Signed autograph inscription from Brigitte Simon to the...

Original watercolour for plate No. 9 of the Le Bon Genre series published by La Mésangère (issued in 1817, 1822 and 1827). Mounted on a mat. Manuscript date and signatures in ink: "30 septembre 1806", "Théodore Lecoeur le jeune".

An outstanding watercolour signed and dated by the illustrator Théodore Lecoeur le jeune, which appeared anonymously in Le Bon Genre, the celebrated series of prints depicting Parisian fashions and manners under the Empire. The collection presents elegant female figures rendered in a semi-caricatural and humorous style, and remains among the finest achievements of French social satire in the early...

Original watercolour for plate No. 20 of the series Le Bon Genre published by La Mésangère (issued in 1817, 1822, and 1827). A tiny loss at the upper right corner, not affecting the illustration; a marginal tear restored on the verso with a paper addition, without loss. Title, date, and signatures in manuscript ink: "Une Soirée de Coblentz", "Paris, juin 1806", "Dessiné par Garbizza".

An exceptional work, signed and dated by the illustrator Angelo Garbizza (1777-1813), anonymously printed in Le Bon Genre, the celebrated collection of engravings depicting the manners and fashions of Paris during the Napoleonic era and the...

Illustrated edition with a frontispiece and 19 black vignette illustrations in the text by Marianne Clouzot, one of 675 numbered copies printed on vélin de lana.

Full caramel box binding, smooth spine, the illustrator’s name gilt at the foot, moiré-effect paper endleaves and doublures, cold-ruled fillet frames to the doublures, original covers and spine preserved, top edge gilt, slipcase with inner flaps in caramel box with bands, moiré-effect paper sides, the slipcase edged in caramel box with moiré-effect paper panels; binding slightly later, signed Gavallet.

Like the 50 numbered copies printed on Arches paper, our copy exceptionally includes, at the end of the volume, a...

First edition, one of 500 copies on wove paper, after 13 copies on Auvergne and 60 on Rives.

Illustrated with four original photomontages.

Exceptionally inscribed by Georges Hugnet on the half-title page to the Dadaist Raoul Hausmann

Original collage by Georges Hugnet, signed in white ink "G.H. 1961". Under mat and framed.

A whimsical photo-collage by the Surrealist artist and writer Georges Hugnet. Throughout his diverse oeuvre, collage represented an enduring passion for Hugnet, placing him among the leading innovators in the medium during the XXth century.

Original collage by Georges Hugnet, signed in white ink “G. H. 1961”. Matted and under a wooden frame without glass. A tiny marginal tear.

An irreverent, whimsical photo-collage by the Surrealist artist and writer Georges Hugnet. Throughout his diverse œuvre, collage represented an enduring passion for Hugnet, placing him as among the leading innovators in the medium in the 20th century.

Manuscript drawing consisting of a coloured sketch of one of the fort’s bastions, with scale in toises.

Construction of the Fort de Lamalgue, situated on the hill of the same name and intended to secure the landward approaches to Toulon while also protecting Fort Saint-Louis (Mourillon), which had been bombarded and abandoned during the siege of 1707, began in 1764 under the direction of Milet de Monville.

Works continued until 1792.

Traces of folding to the sheet.

Manuscript on graph paper comprising nearly 60 original drawings in black pencil, coloured pencil and watercolour, describing various species of edible and poisonous fungi: agaric, Caesar's mushroom, edible bolete, ceps, chanterelles, beefsteak fungus, morel, winter truffle, etc.

Each drawing is captioned in French and Latin.

 Contemporary amateur binding in full flexible boards, plain orange spine split and with portions lacking, blue boards; spine cracked.

Provenance: from the library of Dr Bacquias of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, with his name inscribed in the upper left-hand corner of the front board.

Some foxing.

Autograph letter dated and signed by Roger Martin du Gard, written from his estate in Bellême, Normandy, to his interior architect; 24 lines in black ink and pencil.

Roger Martin du Gard expresses growing impatience over the sale of a property: "Il faudra remuer ciel et enfer, pour aboutir !"

He outlines his plans for the renovation of the dining room and offers a few remarks: "mais ce n'est pas encore au point dans ma caboche..."

Hence the original pencil and red crayon sketch on the verso, illustrating his vision for the proposed alterations to the dining room.

Original felt-tip drawing signed by Uderzo, accompanied by René Goscinny's signature in blue ink. Half a page on the verso of the final leaf of a three-page typescript stapled with a metal clip.
Some minor fold marks, without consequence.
A round and cheerful portrait of Obelix, drawn by his creator and inscribed “pour Anne Sophie avec toute notre amitié”, enriched with René Goscinny’s signature, on the verso of television script pages from a show featuring Uderzo and Goscinny as guests.

Unpublished and signed autograph score by Camille Saint-Saëns. Two pages of handwritten music for solo voice and piano, on an oblong bifolium with twenty staves. Autograph inscription on the first page signed by Saint-Saëns, with his signature and date ("Nov. 1870") appearing again on the second page.
Trace of vertical fold, with a tiny tear along the fold, a small marginal tear on 1 cm of the first page, without damage to the manuscript.

An exceptional unpublished autograph manuscript of a Persian melody for voice and piano, composed by Camille Saint-Saëns during the Siege of Paris in November 1870, enriched with a autograph inscription: 'A...

"It's war!" we shouted that night, over and over again. The terrible word brought us bad luck... It was 1913: the following year, we were packing our kits again. This time, for real. And not all the guests came back." p. 335

First edition, one of only 6 copies printed on Hollande, this being copy no. 1 of the deluxe issue.
Bound in navy blue morocco backed boards with corners, spine very lightly sunned with raised bands, gilt date at foot, marbled paper-covered boards and endpapers, edges untrimmed, top edge gilt, covers and spine preserved. Binding signed Lavaux.
A fine copy with wide margins, attractively bound.
Bookplate...

Original signed drawing in pencil and pink crayon by Antoine de Saint-Ex­upéry, on “Navarre” watermarked paper. Horizontal fold, annotation in pencil in upper left-hand corner, min­ute tears in lower margin.

Precious drawing signed by Saint-Exupéry – the writer-artist very rarely signed his graphic works – of a caricature character, sharing some of the writer's own features.

First edition, one of 8 numbered copies on Chinese paper, the deluxe issue.
Bound in full red morocco, smooth spine, spine and boards decorated with a geometric design of black and gilt fillets representing interlaced mountain peaks in zigzag pattern, endpapers and pastedowns illustrated with an original lithograph signed in pencil by Germaine de Coster, following endpapers of red paper, original wrappers and spine preserved, top edge gilt; a very elegant contemporary binding signed by Hélène Dumas and Germaine de Coster.
This copy is further enriched with an original charcoal portrait of Jean Giono, signed by...

Chinese accordion-fold painted album executed in ink and wash on plant-fibre paper, unfolding into a continuous panorama of the celebrated karst landscapes of Guilin extending to nearly two metres in length.

Original green silk binding woven with floral, pavilion and animal motifs in red and gold, with a manuscript silk title label reading Guilin shanshui ji ("Collection of Guilin Landscapes"), stamped with a red seal. Large red seal on the opening leaf, the artist's seals repeated throughout the panorama, and an ink signature...

Original drawing by Manfred Thierry Mugler, entirely in pencil on a white paper leaf.

 
With a profile of a woman, wearing a mask on her face and another one on top of the first. Numerous technical annotations around the drawing, also by Mugler: "(?) serigraphed, lycra "Wig Hat"", "Painted realistic, like her make-up", "Or All metalic GOLD NO DEFINITION LIKE A MASK OF ANTIK THEATRE".
This drawing is probably a costume project for the dancer Olga Smirnova in the ballet "McGREGOR + MUGLER" by choreographer Wayne McGregor. Fashion designer Thierry Mugler was undeniably very attached to dance, having himself joined the Rhine Opera Ballet at the...

Two original unpublished drawings by fashion designer Manfred Thierry Mugler on post-it notes in black ink, red, blue, beige, and yellow felt-tip pens and white correction fluid. Numerous mentions in English by the designer around the drawings depicting the front and back of an extravagant dress (which to our knowledge has never been made). Top corner of the first drawing backed with a small piece of tape.
The very body-hugging front of the dress is torn at the chest ("double breasted tuxedo wriped [sic]"). The blonde model wears a mask ("wolf ? Mask, lace eventually ?") similar to the famous "Mouche" sunglasses created by Mugler for his "insects" 1997...