The cats - By Champfleury

Edouard Manet (1832 - 1883)

Title: Les Chats - By Champfleury

Published by : J. Rothschild, Paris

Edition: Fifth Edition, 1870

Notes: Bound in half red morocco, a little rubbed, marbled boards and endpapers. 332pp, approx'8x6 inches, from the library of Percy Lancelot Babington, Cossington, bibliographer. Internally clean, some occasional spotting. This is the fifth and most desirable edition and contains all plates, most importantly the large Manet etching «Le Chat Et Les Fleurs», which is in very good, clean condition.

There is also a colour frontis after Champfleury, Lambert's «Jeux des Chats», Gautier's » La Mere-Chatte», Crafty's «Vauriens a la Poursuite du Chat» and «Le Dejeuner» after Champfleury. Additionally there are numerious vignettes and text illustrations, by Delacroix, Grandville and others.

This is a classic work, not least for the fact that it saw the first issue of Manet's famous etching. A rare book in any condition, to still have the etching, which is often removed, makes it even more desirable.

Details of etching:

Title: Le Chat et les Fleurs

Medium: Original etching, 1872, 5th State, on wove paper, with plate signature, title, details of printer and editeur

Size: 203 x 152 mms Plate size)

Reference: Harris 65, Guerin 53,