Daphnis et Chloé

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Daphnis et Chloé

Artist Pierre Bonnard (French, 1867-1947)

Publisher Ambroise Vollard, éditeur, Paris, 1902

Author Longus (Greek, Active 2nd-3rd centuries CE)

Date1902

DimensionsSlipcase: H: 12 5/8 in. (321 mm); W: 10 1/16 in. (255 mm); Depth: 2 in. (51 mm)
Book: H: 12 5/16 in. (313 mm); W: 10 3/16 (259 mm); Depth: 11/16 in. (43 mm)
Page (untrimmed): H: 11 9/16 in. (293 mm); W: 9 3/4 in. (248mm)

MediumOriginal prints: 151 lithographs in gray-black Reproduction: wood engraving after Bonnard Text: letterpress (typeface: Grandjean) Paper: Van Gelder off-white laid paper, watermarked: DAPHNIS ET CHLOÉ

ClassificationBooks

Credit LineGift of Molly and Walter Bareiss

Object number

1984.282

Not on View

Label TextThe Paris art dealer and print publisher Ambroise Vollard began to publish artist illustrated books (LIVRES D'ARTISTE) in 1900, and his books set the high standard of quality for the deluxe editions that were to be produced in this century. The utmost care went into selecting the most elegant of traditional French typefaces, specifying the finest papers, choosing the best printers, and overseeing the overall design. Vollard chose the artist Pierre Bonnard to illustrate the first books Vollard was to publish. For this tale of young Greek lovers, Bonnard designed dreamily lyrical lithographic images which provide a decorous balance for the text on the page. On almost every set of two-pages, there is an illustration, so that the reader can trace the story visually. For this idyllic tale of young Greek lovers, Bonnard confined his lithographic images to a rectangular format. The subtle monochromatic gray-black ink and dreamily lyrical drawings provide a decorous balance for the next on the page. Daphnis and Chloe, the ancient pastoral tale of two young Greek lovers, was a popular subject with artists in the 18th century and again in the 20th. This book includes 151 lithographs by Bonnard all printed in black on a beautiful handmade cream-colored paper. Art dealer Ambroise Vollard had originally planned to publish the book with prints by Maurice Denis. Bonnard however became so enchanted with the subject that he produced his illustrations very swiftly, ultimately winning Vollard’s approval. Bonnard’s approach to depicting these young lovers is different from other artists. He uses a wispy style that is both quiet and delicate while seeming sensuous and mysterious. Daphnis and Chloe as drawn by Bonnard is a sweetly charming tale of romance. Publisher: Ambroise Vollard Pierre Bonnard, Parallèlement (In Parallel). Text by Paul Verlaine (1900) Pierre Bonnard, Les pastorales de Longus; ou Daphnis et Chloé (Pastorals of Longus; or Daphnis and Chloë). Text by Longus (1902) Maurice Denis, Sagesse (Wisdom). Text by Paul Verlaine (1911) The Parisian art dealer Ambroise Vollard was one of the leading publishers of livres de peintre or painter’s books. These were deluxe editions matching original prints with a text. For his first project Vollard chose Parallèlement, a collection of poems by Paul Verlaine. He settled on Bonnard to create the prints. Bonnard’s sensuous lithographs were printed with rose-colored ink. For the most part the publication was received poorly. Collectors didn’t consider lithography a fine-art technique. The edition did not sell out for over 20 years. Undaunted, Vollard commissioned Bonnard to create lithographs for a translation of an ancient poem by Longus. Unlike the images for Parallèlement, the designs for Daphnis et Chloé conformed to a rectangular format above five lines of text. Colored ink was replaced with the same gray-black ink as the text, adding to the overall unity of the design. This volume too did not sell well. Many of Vollard's projects took years to complete and some were left unfinished at his death. Sagesse was written by Verlaine in 1873. The poem inspired a series of drawings by Maurice Denis, which Vollard saw in 1891. He knew this would make a wonderful livre de peintre, but two decades would go by before the book was published. For this project, Vollard had Denis’s drawings converted to wood engravings. Vollard went on to produce 45 fine press books with such artists as Redon, Maillol, Rouault, and Picasso. They are now considered some of the finest and most influential in the genre.Published Referencescf. Garvey, Eleanor. The Artist & the Book, 1860--1960, Boston, 1961, no. 28.

cf. Hogben, Carol, Rowan Watson, editors. From Manet to Hockney: Modern Artists’ Illustrated Books, London, 1985, no. 18, reprs.

cf. Johnson, Una E., Ambroise Vollard, Editeur. Prints, Books, Bronzes, New York, 1977, no. 168.

cf. Catalogue complet des éditions Ambroise Vollard, Portique, Paris, 1930. (1984.438).

cf. Ray, Gordon N. The art of the French illustrated book, 1700 to 1914, vol. II, New York, 1982, no. 384, repr.

cf. Strachan, W. J. The Artist and the Book in France: the 20th Century livre d'artiste, New York, 1969, p. 326.

cf. Bouvet, Francis, Bonnard. The Complete Graphic Work, New York, 1981, no. 75, repr.

cf. Cate, Phillip Dennis, et al., Prints Abound: Paris in the 1890s, from the Collections of Virginia and Ira Jackson and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2000, no. 92A-B.

cf. Wheeler, Monroe, Modern Painters and Sculptors as Illustrators, New York, 1946, p. 98.

cf. The Frank Crowninshield Collection of Modern French Illustrated Books, New York: Parke-Bernet Galleries, 1943, no. 56

cf. Sims Reed, Circa 1900, London, 2001, cat. 13.

Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, The Bareiss Collection of Modern Illustrated Books from Toulouse-Lautrec to Kiefer, 1985, no. 9.

Toledo Museum of Art, Classically Modern, 2000, p. 13; Splendid Pages: The Molly and Walter Bareiss Collection of Modern Illustrated Books, Feb. 14--May 11, 2003.

Toledo Museum of Art, European Expressionist and Cubist Works on Paper: 1900-1930, December 2, 2011-March 11, 2012 (University of Toledo Student Exhibition).

Toledo Museum of Art, For the Birds, April 13-October 14, 2012.

Toledo Museum of Art, Drawn from Classicism: Modern Artists’ Books, September 9-December 10, 2017.