Search Results: Authors starting with A from Comellas Rare Books

Milano, dall'imp. Regia stamperia, 1828. 8vo. frontispiece. 28 pages. Later boards in Bradel style. First Edition. Booklet of great rarity on the asbestos suit invented by the author to protect firefighters during their interventions. The physicist Giovanni Aldini (1762-1834), best known for his galvanic experiments, was the first to use asbestos to equip firefighters and this booklet describes in particular the experiments he had conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of his suit. Following is the catalogue of a collection of objects and instruments relating to firefighters, and belonging to the author. Spectacular engraved frontispiece depicting a firefighter equipped with the asbestos suit and plunging his face into the fire. Very good copy. On Aldini, cf. Valentin, "Travail des Hommes et savants oubliés" (1978), pp. 176-184.

Paris, Librairie Centrale des Arts, s.d. (1902). Large folio. 5 leaves. (1 blank leaf). 72 lithographed plates, some in color and others in monochromatic tones (black, blue, sepia). Illustrated publisher's portfolio, slightly blunted corners, formerly redone binding ribbons, cloth spine (slightly cracked hinges at the top of the spine). Original Edition of this work considered as the artistic manifesto of Art Nouveau, by its "High Priest" the Czechoslovakian painter by Parisian adoption Alfons Mucha (1860-1939). Intended for students and professionals of decor and illustration, the work provides a complete overview of the stylistic revolution proposed by Mucha, and its applications to the advertising and editorial world (poster, typography, layout, illustration) as well as that, by extension, to interior decoration and fashion in general: wallpaper, furniture, tableware, jewelry, hairstyle, etc. Precious, very complete copy with its seventy-two lithographed plates, a rare condition for a work made up… Read More

Paris, Librairie Centrale des Arts, s.d. (1905). Large folio. 2 leaves. 40 lithographed plates in monochromatic tones (blue, green, yellow, black). Illustrated publisher's portfolio, formerly redone binding ribbons, cloth spine. Original Edition. Precious collection of plates by the Parisian-adopted Czechoslovakian painter Alfons Mucha (1860-1939), devoted to the female figure and its central place in the stylistic revolution of Art Nouveau. Mucha wanted to infuse aesthetic values into craftsmanship and this work shows the innovations he proposed to present his drawings of female figures in stylized frames (fans, circles, stars, triangles, ovals, rectangles, etc.) which could then be inserted in illustrations, posters, advertising decorations, interior decorations, stained glass windows, etc. Presented without introductory text in the form of loose sheets, it is a publication intended for students and craftsmen. His plates have often been dispersed and complete series of their forty plates, as is the… Read More