appeals to the intellectual emotions of art lovers
Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen
Harrap, 1916.
First edition. Large 4to. Number 30 of 125 copies, signed by the artist. Full white vellum with gilt lettering on the spine and upper cover. The upper cover has a Clarke design stamped in gilt. Top edge gilt and others untrimmed. Sixteen colour plates mounted onto Japanese vellum and protected by printed tissue guards. Twenty four black and white plates printed on thick glossy paper, plus numerous vignettes. A near fine copy, vellum bright and creamy, hinges tight and all plates perfect. Seemingly unread as some pages remain unopened. Spine is slightly uneven and as usual there is some light spotting to the preliminary pages. Rare, but especially so in such lovely condition.
Clarke's first Gift Book and one of the rarest and most sought after books of this Golden Age period. "A new Irish artist" announced Harrap's large advertisement in the 1919 Bookman, "whose work will certainly command extreme admiration. Mr Clarke brings to Hans Andersen an entirely fresh interpretation and he appeals to the intellectual emotions of art lovers." Contemporary reviews made comment on the influence of Beardsley upon Clarke's illustration and it is true that the black and whites drawings are very reminiscent of the intricacy of Beardsley's work. Clarke, however, has a very distinctive style of his own which is most marked in his colour illustrations, some of which have a delicate colour palette and a distinctly Art Nouveau feel, while others use the deep, bold colours seen in the artist's stained glass designs.
Stock ID: 37804
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