Raphael

1899 · rif. 74816 — Paris: Imprimerie Champenoispour CH. MassonH. Piazza 1899. Fine. Imprimerie Champenois pour CH. Masson H. Piazza Paris Février 1899 23.50 x 34.50 cm une feuille et une serpente Rare original colour lithograph executed by Raphaël Collin for L'Estampe Moderne series number 22 published in February 1899. One of 50 deluxe copies printed on Japan paper with wide margins artist's signature in the plate publisher's dry stamp representing a child's profile in the lower margin numbered stamp of the deluxe issue on verso; engraving preceded by a tissue guard captioned with the artist's name title and a poem. Lithograph inspired by the poem Partenza by Francis Vièlé-Griffin reproduced on the tissue guard of the print. Magnificent French monthly publication issued between May 1897 and April 1899 L'Estampe moderne consists of unpublished chromolithographs which unlike other magazines such as Les Maîtres de l'Affiche and as stipulated on the tissue guards were created specially by each artist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 Époque. 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 the most prestigious of papers: Japan. Thick silky satiny and pearlescent it contributes to making each page a work in its own right. Its quality of ink absorption and its affinity with colours also make it the ideal support for these very beautiful lithographs. The interest of French collectors 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 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. Imprimerie Champenoispour CH. MassonH. Piazza unknown