(Belgian Art) Spilliaert, Leon. PLAISIRS D'HIVER. Bruxelles: Edition de l'Art Decoratif C. Dangotte, 1918. FIRST EDITION. Folio - 13" x 9-1/2". [iii], plus [10] lithographed plates, loose in original publisher's paper folio as issued. This incredibly scarce album contains ten original lithographs (five in striking color and five in elegant minimalist outline) by the visionary Belgian symbolist artist Léon Spilliaert, all centering on children and wintertime scenes. Includes the single text sheet folded to [4] pp. containing the half-title, limitation page, and title page. This copy is exceptionally rare, representing one of only 100 luxury copies printed on fine japon impérial, hand-numbered at the press and SIGNED BY THE ARTIST on the limitation page: "No 11 / 'Leon Spilliaert'." Housed in the original publisher's light brown, textured stiff paper portfolio, with titles stamped in brown and an original drawing by Spilliaert printed in black to the front cover; publisher's advertisement to the inside of the back cover.
The physical condition of the lithographs is graded (9/10) - EXCELLENT (utilizing a standardized 10-point scale for photographic prints and original works of art, indicating mild condition issues that are barely perceptible to the naked eye). The accompanying original text sheet and the portfolio housing are graded together as NEAR FINE on the standard antiquarian book grading scale; the internal text leaves remain remarkably clean and bright, while the exterior portfolio wrapper exhibits only light, scattered superficial spotting to its textured surfaces, remaining structurally sound and entirely intact.
Léon Spilliaert and the Avant-Garde "Collection du Petit Artiste"
Produced during the final structural tremors of the First World War, this album stands as a towering achievement in early twentieth-century Belgian graphic art and avant-garde publishing. Commissioned by the innovative Brussels publisher Charly Dangotte—a key figure in promoting wartime Belgian decorative arts—the "Collection du Petit Artiste" sought to redefine the aesthetic boundaries of children's literature by engaging top-tier modernists. Léon Spilliaert, an iconic self-taught master celebrated for his moody, existential ink drawings and symbolist beachscapes, brings an uncommonly tender yet hauntingly atmospheric quality to these winter scenes. Shifting between rich, saturated color fields and stark, geometric outline work, Spilliaert beautifully captures the quiet isolation and simple joys of childhood in winter, elevating a simple seasonal motif into a profound exercise in graphic minimalism. This copy boasts a distinguished institutional pedigree, originating from Heritage Auctions' landmark sale, Once Upon a Time... Rare Children's Literature from Justin G. Schiller, Ltd. (December 16, 2020, Lot 45195), cementing its importance among serious collections of historic juvenile illustration.
Monumental Institutional Scarcity and Census
Because these delicate portfolios were issued with loose plates intended for individual framing or interactive viewing, the vast majority of the tiny edition of 100 copies were broken up, damaged, or lost to time. Complete sets containing all ten pristine plates, the original text sheets, including the signed limitation page are practically non-existent on the open market. A current global sweep of the OCLC/WorldCat database locates only one copy preserved in institutional special collections worldwide: the Cotsen copy held by Princeton University Library. This scarcity places the present copy among the rarest documented survivals of Spilliaert's printmaking career.
THE SURVIVAL OF THIS EXCEEDINGLY RARE WARTIME AVANT-GARDE PORTFOLIO, PRINTED ON LUXURY JAPON IMPÉRIAL AND BEARING THE MINT AUTOGRAPH OF LÉON SPILLIAERT, REPRESENTS A CRITICAL ACQUISITION FOR INSTITUTIONAL SPECIAL COLLECTIONS OR EXTRAORDINARY PRIVATE COLLECTIONS DEVOTED TO THE HISTORY OF MODERN BELGIAN ART, GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION, OR SIGNED, LIMITED EDITIONS.
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