Creighton University

The seller writes “certainement des suites d'une édition de luxe.”  That for me touches on the great question of this great acquisition.  Is this a set of added “illustrations only”?  Or perhaps a test printing for the artist or others?  The tailpieces are correctly positioned for their place with relation to the texts.  The lithographs are strong.  By contrast with the published portfolio already in the collection, the images here are not accompanied by text or page numbers.  They are printed on only one side.  At what is page 56 in the portfolio, the images move from deft brown ink to much less deft black.  Among the full-page illustrations, I appreciate “The Thieves and the Ass” (page 7 in the portfolio).  The endpieces are particularly impressive, especially the exploding frog (6); the spider-web in the tree (16); SS (21); WL (24); “Fox and Goat” (38); the monkey adrift (45); and the tethered horse (52).  What a terrific addition to our collection!  Do not miss the apparently original drawing of "The Ass and the Lapdog" included in the portfolio.  It is listed under "Paper" in "Original Art."