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A French Alphabet Book of 1814: For Alfred Bourdier De Beauregard Created by His Uncle Arnaud at the Chateau De Beaumont De Beauregard - Hardcover
Synopsis
The 2004 first edition is a limited 750 numbered copies, elegantly bound in gilt-stamped blue cloth with dust jacket. "This uniquely detailed series of watercolour drawings was made in 1814 as a primer or alphabet book for the two-year old Alfred, by his uncle Arnaud. It brings alive the education and everyday life of a young French aristocrat after the Revolution, Napoleon and the return of the Bourbon King Louis XVIII. The drawings now preserved for posterity give fascinating views of the family château and its surrounds, its interior with elegant furnishings, the private chapel, kitchens, workshops and stables. The boy's clothing, occupations and pastimes are all minutely depicted. His instruction in polite manners, music, the arts and architecture, and even the facts of nursery life is all illustrated. Plants and animals in colourful watercolours abound. The pages are filled with amusing puns and now obscured meanings, a source of pleasure as well as knowledge, preserving a life of enchantment and privilege which has long since vanished. The French captioned images are translated into English of the period, as a primer for children of today."
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About the Author
Charles Plante is the director of Charles Plante Fine Arts, one of the leading British antique galleries specializing in watercolors, drawings and the decorative arts of the neoclassical period (1760-1840). His previous books include Inside Out: Historic Watercolor Drawings, Oil Sketches and Paintings of Interiors and Exteriors 1770—1870 and Designs for Gilt Bronze Objects for the French Restoration 1814—1830.
Review
A handful of little books rounds out the list. The most curious, "A French Alphabet Book of 1814," is a set of wonderful watercolors executed by Arnaud Bourdier de Beauregard, a French noble, for his young nephew. There's a Magritte-ish quality to the carefully illustrated and labeled objects, most of them simple, everyday articles like scissors or playing cards. Bourdier had a playful sense of opposition. The same page might include a toad, an obelisk and a watch, for example. This is an alphabet book with metaphysical wit. -- New York Times Nov/Dec 2007
"...a charming collection of watercolor illustrations of French country life, along with lovely examples of hand lettering. It would make a wonderful gift for type lovers and Francophiles alike." -- HOW MAGAZINE - 10/4/2007
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- PublisherCharles Plante Fine Arts
- Publication date2004
- ISBN 10 0954397029
- ISBN 13 9780954397029
- BindingHardcover
- LanguageFrench
- Number of pages114
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