Cézanne : Son Art — Son Oeuvre [Inscribed]

Paris: Paul Rosenberg Éditeur, 21, rue La Boétie, 1936. Stiff Wrappers. Fine. Limited Edition of the first catalogue raisonné of works by French Post-Impressionist Paul Cézanne, complete in two volumes. Inscribed by Venturi and numbered XV (probably one of an unspecified number of copies reserved for the author, separate from the edition of 1000 copies). Thick royal 8vo (302 x 232mm): 407,[3]; [4],[2], with 406 full-page black-and-white plates on coated stock. Publisher's original textured stiff aquamarine wrappers lettered in saffron yellow, white spines titled in black, title pages in scarlet and black, edges uncut. Text in French. Inscribed and dated August 2, 1936 to first volume fly leaf, less than a month after publication, to Mme. Pellerin, probably the widow of Auguste Pellerin (1852-1929), one of the earliest and greatest collectors of Cézanne works (see below). A superb set (trivial edge wear; occasional light, erasable pencil notations to margins, chiefly check marks), tightly bound and virtually pristine throughout (many leaves unopened), with important provenance. Published in Paris by Cézanne's dealer, Paul Rosenberg. The fully illustrated second volume reproduces all but four of the 1,634 paintings, watercolors, drawings, and lithographs catalogued. According to Christie's, "The collector Auguste Pellerin brought together, over more than a quarter of a century, the greatest collection of Cézanne pictures ever assembled. . . . As there are no surviving records of Pellerin's purchases or disposals it is uncertain just how many Cézannes were in the collection, but there were certainly well over a hundred. It would appear that he was one of the very first real collectors of Cézanne's pictures, commencing possibly as early as 1895 and steadily adding to the collection until his last documented purchase at the Gangnat sale in 1925 (just four years before his death), when he paid the then record price of 528,000 francs for Le Grand Pin et les Terres Rouges (Venturi 459). . . . What is astounding is the sheer passion Pellerin exhibited for Cézanne's work and the great number of pictures which he acquired in such a relatively short time. N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, carefully preserved in archival, removable mylar sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).