1897 Original Vintage Decorator Sheet, Plate 14

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Description

A detailed, highly colored chromolithograph from a book titled 'L'animal dans la décoration' (or 'The Use of Animals in Decoration') … Read more A detailed, highly colored chromolithograph from a book titled 'L'animal dans la décoration' (or 'The Use of Animals in Decoration') by Maurice Pillard Verneuil and printed in 1897. Edited by E. Lévy with an introduction by Verneuil's mentor, Eugène Grasset, and published by the Imprimerie Lemercier, this pattern book incorporates animals into its designs in a fun and quirky way.

Verneuil was a Swiss artist and designer who was recognized for his use of floral patterns atypical of the Art Nouveau style. He used these in his ceramic tiles, wallpapers, textiles - any way he could! He was greatly inspired by Japanese art, and travelled across many Asiatic countries - including Indonesia, Cambodia, and of course Japan - collecting souvenirs and learning about the decorative arts. He was also quite taken with nature and marine life in particular, hence his emphasis on animals in his book.

The chromolithographs are printed on thick sheets of paper measuring 13.25 x 17.75". Plate 14 in particular features a wrought-iron peacock, cicadas and gooseberries, and lace dragonflies and dandelions. See less