|
DIE MÄR VON DER HEERFAHRT IGORS.
MUNICH, ORCHIS, 1923 [1924].
In-8 (266 x 178 mm). 8vo. 85 pp.
Illustrated with 37 woodcuts colored in
stencil technique. Beautiful blue leather strap with colored leather inlays, which pick up on elements of the woodcuts, with hand-painted colored borders on the inside cover and attachments in a cardboard slipcase. 1/700 copies (special not numbered copy). German translation of "Slovo o Polku Igoreve"
[The Tale of Igor's Campaign], an anonymous epic poem written in
the Old East Slavic language that was the basis for Alexandre
Borodin's famous 1890 opera "Prince Igor". Here Goncharova
employs a style similar to that of her celebrated pochoirs for
Pushkin's Conte de Tsar Saltan (1921). Oxford University Press
has declared Die Mär von der Heerfahrt Igors a masterpiece in
the history of book illustration. OCLC lists only six copies in
the United States. Not in MoMA, LC or Getty. Provenance: Bonhams
New York, Russian Books and
Photographs10 Dec 2014, lot 11
$5000 |
