Back at last and with an interesting and puzzling edition, which has little in the way of background material to research, there are a few auction records, but as yet I have not found a record of a copy with all the illustrations. The information I can offer is lifted from : Martin Van Maele: An Illustrated Bibliographical Checklist by S. A. Perry which is available on line and linked at the base of the page.
The present copy is, as often is the case with my books, incomplete, having 10 of the 12 illustrations called for, consisting of the frontispiece and 9 engraved plates, as always I request your assistance with ” filling the gaps”, so if anyone has copy of the illustrations required to complete the set, I would be happy to post them on this listing and credit the donor.
Update. 01/06/2020. My thanks to Kyle Strom, for directing me to Luc Binet’s: “Martin Van Maele: ou le diable se cache dans les détails (catalogue raisonné)”, and especially for providing a copy of an image missing from the present volume.
An image I had thought might me the mysterious 12th plate, turned out to be listed in an auction of yet another clandestine edition from 1905 with the artist credited as Fredillo. I am cautious about such matters as I am aware of at least one other title where Van Maele illustrations had been accredited to Fredillo. To avoid confusion I will return to this under a separate post.
Despite the grand claim to be published as part of the series,I cannot locate any other titles in this series by this publisher and given that Mitylene is an ancient archaeological site on Lesbos, we have the ingredients that identify this as a clandestine publication .In this case the publisher is Georges Briffaut, who used the Mitylene location with a number of other descriptors as his clandestine cover, for a small number of titles. With thanks again to S.A Perry, I can offer the following information:- The Leonhardt copy contains a frontispiece + 10 engravings, the Faur copy contains 10 of the 12 etchings, and the Perceau copy contains 11 of the 12 engravings. From the cover: Nouvelle entref illustrée de douze plances hors–texte à l’eau–forte de A. Van Troizem . Briffaut previously published a unique edition in Paris in 1910. Square 8vo. 222pp. Printed on Japon Impérial paper with 41 original watercolors, full page and in-text, by Van Maele. Carrington published an English translation in 1901 titled Correspondence Between Two Young Parisian Ladies . Poulet–Malassis originally published this title in 1868 [although possibly earlier according to Pia 704]
In my opinion the illustrations here, owe a significant debt to those produced by Avril for the 1905 Clandestine Hirsch edition. Listed elsewhere on this site and linked below.
Un été à la Campagne LE CHEFS-D’ŒUVRES DE LA LITÉRATURE GALANTE | [rule] | CORRESPONDANCE | DE DEUX JEUNES PARISIENNES | RECUEILLIE PAR | UN AUTEUR À MODE | [decoration] | À MITYLÈNE | CHEZ LES LIBRAIRIES ASSOCIÉS (Briffaut) [1920] 8vo. (19.3 x 14.2 cm). 186 pp. 10 of 12 hors-texte etchings done in black by Van Troizem, (Martin van Maele). In original publishers card covers printed in red and black, general wear to covers , contents loose and shaken, the illustrations originally tipped in and indexed with roman numerals are now loose.
The Illustrations
Martin Van Maele: An Illustrated Bibliographical Checklist by S. A. Perry
Books for Trade: Ovide. Les Amours. J Chevrel, Libraire. Paris. MCMXIII
Van Maele! One of my favorites. Luc Binet’s book (Martin Van Maele, ou le diable se cache dans les détails) shows 11 of the 12 illistrations and the fronts piece by Rops. I think plate 7 is one of the ones you’re missing, and not the one you posted from the auction. I can send you a picture if you’d like to post it.
I find it interesting that plate 7 seems to be missing from many known copies. I wonder if it has anything to do with it showing two men, while the rest of the illistrations are two women or a woman and man.
I couldn’t find the auction page with your proposed plate 12. I’d be curious to see the auction, according to Binet, “…la douzième plate reste mytérieuse”
Hi Kyle
Thank you for the information, please do send a copy of plate 7.
I will attempt to locate a link to the auction and update the post.
Regards Steve