BALZAC, Honoré de — Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu.
Paris: Ambroise Vollard, 1931.
Large in-4 (approx. 33.2 × 25.7 cm). Printed by Aimé Jourde, Paris, on vélin de Rives. One of the 240 numbered copies on Rives paper from a total edition of 340 copies.
This celebrated artist’s book is illustrated by Pablo Picasso and forms one of the most important collaborations between the artist and the legendary Parisian publisher Vollard.
The complete edition was issued with:
– 13 original etchings by Pablo Picasso (printed by Louis Fort, Paris)
– 67 wood engravings after Picasso’s drawings, engraved by Georges Aubert
– additional reproduced drawings within the text.
This copy:
Numbered copy on vélin de Rives. The example is complete in all text and wood-engraved illustrations (after Picasso’s drawings) but lacks the suite of 13 original etchings by Picasso. All other elements of the book are present.
The work illustrates Balzac’s famous short story Le Chef-d’œuvre inconnu (“The Unknown Masterpiece”), a foundational literary text on artistic creation that profoundly influenced modern artists, including Picasso himself.
Edition details:
Total print run: 340 copies
– 65 copies on Imperial Japan with an additional suite of the etchings
– 240 copies on vélin de Rives
– 35 hors commerce copies.
Paper: Vélin de Rives
Publisher: Paris, Ambroise Vollard, 1931
Illustrations: 13 etchings (missing in this copy) + 67 wood engravings after Picasso’s drawings.
Catalogues raisonnés:
Cramer 20
Bloch 82–94
Horodisch B4
Despite the absence of the etchings, the volume remains a significant example of one of Picasso’s most celebrated illustrated books, preserving the complete typographic structure and the full suite of wood engravings derived from Picasso’s drawings.
