MARILYN BRAITERMAN

doors, gables, etc., drawn to a large scale to be useful. A variety
of elevations of building fronts show the effect when combined.
The book is aimed at owners and builders working without an
architect. Hitchcock 299 (1865 edition). $850
VIENNA SECESSION
37. (CZESCHKA, CARL) Die Nibelungen. Vienna: Gerlach
& Wiedling (1924). Square 12mo, tan cloth lettered in black
on spine and cover. Fine copy of the second edition of the
most beautiful book in the series “Gerlach’s Jugendbücherei”.
Patterned end papers, decorative double title page, borders,
initial letters and eight stunning double page and 18 vignette
illustrations lithographed in black, blue, red and gilt by
Czeschka, a member of the Klimt group and co-founder of the
Wiener Werkstätte. He designed books, painted, and worked
in metal, stained glass, jewelry and interior design. A small but
splendid masterpiece of Vienna Secession design.
Hofstätter, Art Nouveau Prints, Illustrations and Posters,
pages 244-245:“(the illustrations) are characterized by a
sparing use of color with gold, and by the juxtaposition of large
and significant empty areas with small mosaic-like forms.”
Varnedoe, Vienna 1900, pages 94-95. $850
38. DANCE OF DEATH. (HESS, HIERONIMUS)
La Danse des Morts a Bâle. Basler Todtentanz de Jn.
Holbein. Basel: Hasler & Cie (circa 1840). 4to, publisher’s
binding of green morocco and gilt-lettered boards; somewhat
rubbed but sound. An interesting and rare (two holdings in
OCLC) Dance Macabre presentation. Printed on one side of
the leaf only. Forty
lithographs with brief
verse above and below
the illustrations and
poems on opposite
pages in German,
French and English.
The illustrations were
drawn by Hieronimus
Hess (1799-1850)
after Matthias
Merian’s copies of the
wall drawings of the
church of Saint John
in Basel, wrongly
attributed to Hans
Holbein, and destroyed in the 19 th century.
Hess was a member of the Nazarene School, a German art
society formed by a group of religious young painters in
1809 to return to the medieval spirit in art in reaction against
18 th century Neo-Classicism. According to the Encyclopedia
Britannica, “the first effective anti-academic movement in
European painting.”
Whatever the art historical or political importance of
the movement, this is an unusual and gripping variation
on the Dance of Death theme. It is unknown to various
specialized bibliographies but is recorded as No.36 in
the Susan Minns sale. $1950
39. DRESSER, CHRISTOPHER. Japan. Its Architecture,
Art, and Art Manufactures. London: Longmans, Green, and
Co. & New York: Scribner and Welford, 1882. Large thick 8vo,
oatmeal linen covers and spine decorated with Japanese motifs,
probably designed by the author. Expertly recased with original
spine laid down, new endpapers. Back cover a little soiled;
some fraying at edges and corners.
An important book for its description of life, religion and
architecture in early Meiji Japan and its detailed account of
Japanese art manufactory, including lacquer, pottery, metal and
fabric. Dresser’s 1876 visit to Japan was the first by a western
industrial designer and influenced his highly original and prolific
work in pottery, furniture, silver, wallpaper and textiles. He had a
major impact both on the American Aesthetic movement and on
European Art Nouveau, which echoed the sinuous patterns of the
kimono, clouds and waves of Japanese art. $1000
TEXTILES OF THE FIRST EMPIRE
40. DUMONTHIER, ERNEST. Étoffes d’Ameublement de
l’Époque Napoléonienne. Paris: Vve. Charles Schmid, 1909.
In series Le Mobilier National, written by its administrator.
Folio, green board portfolio lettered in gilt; snag at upper joint,
else very good. One of 800 copies. The preface by Frédéric
Masson is not present. With 70 plates, of which 23 are in color
and mounted, of textile and tapestry design in First Empire
style. The maker and location of each fabric are identified.
Dumonthier was the author of several books on historic textiles
and furniture from Louis XV to the Second Empire. $750
RUSSIAN EXPRESSIONIST THEATER
41. EFROS, AVRAM. Kamerni Teatri i Ego Hudozhniki
1914 xx 1934 (Kamerny Theater and Its Artists 1914-1934).
Moscow: All Russian Theatrical Society, 1934. 4to, gray cloth
with the twentieth anniversary logo of the theater designed by
Alexandra Exter stamped on front cover. Internal crack, one
plate loose. Complete (according to the plate list, there was no
plate 36). Cover device repeated on half title in red, black and
gilt; 212 pages, 47 page illustrated essay by Efros, portrait of
Alexander Tairoff, the founder of the theater and 195 black/
white and color plates from photographs and art work of actors
and costume and stage design by Exter, Vesnin, Kusnetzov, the
Shtenberg Brothers, Soudekine, Lentulov, Goncharova and
others. Each production is introduced by a half-page tissue
guard lettered in red with title, author, artist and date. The
Rare Books Catalogue 28
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