Antoine Monnier (1846–1929) - La Création du Monde — 1877

lotto/antoine monnier 1846 1929 la creation du monde 1877 limited edition uYH3HYF 633052689 / In vendita

lotto/antoine monnier 1846 1929 la creation du monde 1877 limited edition uYH3HYF 633052689

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lotto/antoine monnier 1846 1929 la creation du monde 1877 limited edition uYH3HYF 633052689

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Antoine Monnier (1846–1929) - La Création du Monde — 1877 — Limited edition

RARE ORIGINAL FRENCH ETCHING FROM A LIMITED EDITION OF ONLY 380 COPIES — PARIS, 1877 LA CRÉATION DU MONDE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD An extraordinary original nineteenth-century etching by the French poet and artist Antoine Monnier (1846–1929), created for his remarkable 1877 bibliophile work “Le Haschisch”. Published in Paris by Léon Willem, the original edition was strictly limited to only 380 copies. This impression is printed on substantial natural-white papier vélin, the fine wove paper used for the limited issue of 340 copies. The etching presents one of Monnier’s most imaginative and irreverent compositions: Satan creating the Earth by blowing a soap bubble. RARITY AND COLLECTOR’S INTEREST “La Création du Monde” is among the most unusual and visually arresting compositions associated with Antoine Monnier’s “Le Haschisch”, an exceptional publication combining prose, poetry, satire, fantastic art and the nineteenth-century fascination with dreams and altered states of consciousness. The work was expressly dedicated to Charles Baudelaire, whose influence can be felt in Monnier’s combination of beauty, darkness, irony and visionary fantasy. The original edition comprised only 380 copies, of which 340 were issued on papier vélin. Complete examples have become scarce, and individual original etchings retaining their broad margins, plate mark and printed inscriptions are increasingly difficult to find. Its striking combination of Satanic imagery, cosmic symbolism, black humour and philosophical satire makes “La Création du Monde” particularly appealing to collectors of fantastic and Symbolist art, occult imagery, unusual religious iconography, nineteenth-century literature and works associated with the tradition of the cabinet of curiosities. THE SONNET BEHIND THE IMAGE The etching illustrates Monnier’s satirical sonnet “La Création du Monde” — “The Creation of the World”. In Monnier’s irreverent alternative to the traditional Biblical account, the Eternal has already created several planets. Seated calmly upon a cloud, he contemplates them moving through the silence and emptiness of space. Satan observes the divine Creation with envy, desire and rage. Convinced that he can equal or surpass the work of God, he disappears and returns carrying an ordinary straw and a small vessel containing soap dissolved in water. He dips the end of the straw into the mixture and blows through it. According to the extraordinary final line of Monnier’s sonnet, this is how the Devil creates the Earth. THE EARTH AS A SOAP BUBBLE Monnier translates the poem’s satirical cosmology into a powerful and unforgettable visual composition. At the upper left, the Eternal remains seated upon the clouds, distant and contemplative. The central figure of Satan dominates the image: horned, winged and equipped with a long serpentine tail, he balances among the newly created celestial spheres. In one hand he holds the small vessel containing the soapy mixture. With the other he raises the slender blowing tube towards his mouth. Around him, floating bubbles gradually become planets. Some remain pale, transparent and apparently unfinished, while others have already transformed into dark, substantial globes containing miniature landscapes and recognisable terrestrial forms. Two large worlds dominate the foreground, their rounded surfaces constructed through dense cross-hatching and intricate concentric lines. Monnier’s brilliant visual conceit transforms the Earth into a fragile soap bubble produced by Satan’s attempt to imitate divine Creation. The result is simultaneously humorous, unsettling and philosophically suggestive. Humanity does not inhabit an eternal and perfectly ordered world, but a delicate sphere born from rivalry, vanity and devilish improvisation. Like every soap bubble, Monnier’s Earth appears beautiful but temporary — a world that could burst and disappear at any moment. SATIRE, COSMOLOGY AND FANTASTIC ART Monnier combines the grandeur of a traditional religious subject with the visual language of caricature, fantastic literature and early Symbolist art. The solemn mystery of Genesis is replaced by an absurd but disturbingly persuasive act of demonic invention. Satan is not represented merely as the enemy of Creation, but as an ambitious imitator: a rival artist who observes the divine act and attempts to reproduce it using the most ordinary materials imaginable. The contrast between the immensity of the cosmos and the domestic simplicity of soap, water and a straw gives the composition its distinctive black humour. At the same time, the Earth as a bubble evokes fragility, illusion, vanity and impermanence. The image therefore operates on several levels: as a fantastic representation of Satan, as a visual interpretation of a satirical poem, as an irreverent counter-Genesis and as a meditation upon the instability of the human world. Its cosmic imagery and dreamlike transformation of soap bubbles into inhabited planets feel strikingly modern, while remaining rooted in the fantastic, macabre and proto-Symbolist culture of late nineteenth-century France. BIBLIOPHILE ORIGIN The etching was created for: “Le Haschisch. Contes en prose, sonnets et poèmes fantaisistes” Text and etchings by Antoine Monnier Published by Léon Willem Paris, 1877 The original table of contents identifies both the sonnet and its accompanying etching as “La Création du Monde”. The volume was dedicated to Charles Baudelaire, author of “Les Fleurs du Mal” and one of the defining literary figures of nineteenth-century modernity, spleen and artificial paradises. The plate was printed by Auguste Delâtre, the renowned Parisian master printer whose workshop produced etchings for many prominent French artists of the nineteenth century. The original printed inscriptions identifying Antoine Monnier and the Delâtre printing press remain clearly visible beneath the composition. TECHNIQUE AND IMPRESSION Original etching / eau-forte printed in black ink on substantial natural-white papier vélin. The impression is crisp, dark and richly detailed. Satan’s body and wings are rendered in deep black lines, creating a powerful silhouette against the lighter cosmic background. The delicate linear treatment of the bubbles and the distant figure of the Eternal contrasts dramatically with the dark terrestrial spheres occupying the foreground. Monnier’s fine etched lines and cross-hatching remain clearly articulated throughout the composition, including within the deepest areas of the wings, body, clouds and planetary surfaces. A pronounced plate mark surrounds the composition and is clearly visible on both the front and reverse of the sheet. This relief was created by the pressure of the original intaglio printing process. The broad original margins give the etching an elegant presentation and provide ample space for conservation mounting and professional framing. DETAILS Artist and etcher: Antoine Monnier (1846–1929) Title: La Création du Monde English title: The Creation of the World Associated text: La Création du Monde — satirical sonnet Subject: Satan creating the Earth as a soap bubble Date: 1877 Technique: Original etching / eau-forte Printer: Auguste Delâtre Publisher: Léon Willem Original publication: Le Haschisch Edition: 380 copies in total, including 340 on papier vélin Paper: Natural-white papier vélin / fine wove paper Country of origin: France Signature: Artist’s name printed within the original plate Frame: Unframed DIMENSIONS Sheet: 31.5 × 24.7 cm Approximately 12.4 × 9.7 inches Printed composition: 19 × 9.6 cm Approximately 7.5 × 3.8 inches CONDITION Good antique condition. The sheet is complete, clean and well preserved, retaining broad original margins and a crisp, clearly defined impression. The front presents particularly well, with only a few very small scattered age-related spots and faint marks visible within the broad surrounding margins. The reverse shows a localised pale brown age-related mark below and to the left of the plate area, together with a few tiny scattered spots. These traces are clearly documented in the photographs and do not affect the printed composition. There is minor natural irregularity along the sheet edges, gentle wear at the corners and slight rounding at the upper right corner, consistent with the age and original bibliophile origin of the work. The image and plate area remain in particularly attractive condition, with no tears, losses or significant damage affecting the etched composition. The pronounced plate mark remains intact and clearly visible on both sides. Please examine all photographs carefully. They show the actual original etching offered and form an integral part of the condition description. SHIPPING Carefully packed flat with rigid protection. Tracked and insured shipping.

Stima:€150

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