Item Details
Candide Maquettes - Hand Colored by Artist.
New York: Random House/Pynson Press, 1928. Unique Edition. Loose Sheets. Remarkably important on several fronts. This work was Random House's first imprint and bears the now-famous emblem, designed and hand-colored by Kent. It includes a small, but significant, rarity in the form of the hand-colored invitation (also by Kent) to the release event. Most importantly, it is the only known copy of the four exemplars created by Kent, containing 102 watercolors by Kent's hand (103, including that on the invitation). It is known that Kent personally painted four copies to serve as exemplars to the four women who painted the illustrations for the Limited Edition. One of those four was Kent's daughter, Kathleen (two of the others were studio artists Ione Robinson and Wanda Gag, the fourth is unknown). It is presumed that this copy was the one that was given to his daughter as it was in Kent's home at Sable Forks, NY at the time of the fire (thought to have been triggered by lightning). There was some damage to this set, as 2 of the leaves were either burned or water-damaged beyond salvaging (though nearly all others are in Fine condition). The set was given to Robert Paulson, a personal friend and sometime dealer who, it is understood, was involved in salvaging works from Kent's home after the fire. The set was sold by Paulson to the last owner. Paulson and the prior owner concur that the lost leaves are very minor in the totality of the unique collection and that all the major aspects are present and in exceptional condition (the bastard title page, main title page and colophon upon which the first appearance of the Random House imprint appears). The missing sheets were interior pages with artwork on them (as does every page in this work), but were not artistically "important". It is worth noting that this collection is not noted in any auction record or bibliography, it is a genuine rarity. In the end, this is the only known copy, containing literally dozens of pages of Kent's famed illustrations, each hand-colored by Kent, himself. Its importance and significance are hard to overstate. Near Fine+ [though missing two sheets]. Two sheets show light toning, two sheets missing (29-32; 69-72), else clean and bright. Custom-made portfolio, dark turquoise-navy Levant goatskin spine and rail, navy Bancroft bookcloth boards, color reproduction of title page recessed in front flap, medium blue grosgrain silk ties, lined with Arches laid rag paper (identical to paper used in this edition). fo. 27 loose double-sided sheets. 102 hand-colored illustrations. Laid in, hand-colored, invitation to a publication event: "Candide - Original Drawings Made by Rockwell Kent - For the Random House edition of Candide, with specimen printed pages coloured by hand, will be displayed in the exhibition room - Pynson Printers • Times Annex - through May • nineteen twenty-eight - 229 W 43 • New York" [in original envelop]. Item #13616
Price: $25,000.00