GEORGES BARBIER (1882-1932) - Lot 239

GEORGES BARBIER (1882-1932) "Illustration project for Marcel Schwob's Vies imaginaires. Two compositions on a single sheet. Technique: Gouache and ink on strong wove paper with fringed edges Main illustration: maritime scene with three hanged men, officer in wig, three-masted ship in background L" historiated lettering: floral decor and symbolic objects (pipes, smoke volutes, ornate vase) Dimensions : Leaf: approx. 32 × 24 cm Illustration: approx. 17.5 × 6 cm Lettering: approx. 6 × 6 cm Condition: Very good; slight traces of dust in margins, colors perfectly fresh, gouache stable. Description: An accomplished project, typical of George Barbier's Art Deco period. The main scene, dramatic and with great chromatic finesse, could correspond to the chapter devoted to the English pirate in Vies imaginaires. The richly decorated historiated lettering is in the tradition of the ornaments Barbier created for luxury editions between 1918 and 1930.