Incroyables et Merveilleuses.

Paris., (c.1815).. Later burgundy crushed morocco-backed marbled boards, banded spine in six compartments with urn tools and titles gilt, marbled endpapers.. Folio. (428 x 290 mm).. The suite of 33 hand coloured engraved plates by Gatine after Horace Vernet and Lante, numbered 1 - 33 at upper right, with title above and description beneath, each with large margins, this copy with an additional variant of plate no. 22, titled 'Chapeau de paille. Robe à deux étages de remplis'; sheet size: c.420 x 278 mm. The rare complete suite of hand-coloured engravings of dandies ('Incroyables') and their female counterparts ('Merveilleuses').'George-Jacques Gatine was the leading costume engraver of his time. For many years he supplied plates for the 'Journal des Dames'. He engraved the 115 designs which make up 'Le bon genre' of 1817... He also made hundreds of plates of regional and Parisian dress. None of these remotely approaches Incroyables et Merveilleuses in excellence, for he never again had anyone approaching Horace Vernet as his artist ... This great record of Empire costume is rarely found complete ... '. (Ray).'D'ailleurs cette suite de Gatine, d'après Horace Vernet, est très belle. C'est un des principaux documents sur les modes.' (Beraldi).'Cette belle suite est très rare'. (Colas).[Ray 80; Colas 2992; see Beraldi - Les Graveurs du XIXe Siècle Vol. VI pg. 228].