Baranbandy Original Watercolors" [cover title]

[Paris, circa 1900-1910]. Some chipping to edges and age darkening to mounts, generally in very well-preserved condition with colors fresh and bright. A collection of pencil, pen-and-ink and watercolor drawings on 66 mounts (one unmounted), some mounts with numerous smaller drawings, all drawings tipped at corners. Mounts measuring 360 x 173 mm. In a cloth folding case. Richard Barabandy (1849-1915), born Riccardo Barabandi in Milan, studied from 1864 to 1869 with Bartolomeo Giuliano at the Milan Academy of Fine Arts. He was appointed a professor of the Academy in 1879 and was active in the literary and artistic circles of the city, counting among his close friends the poet Gian Pietro Lucini, the writer Felice Cameroni, and the sculptor Medardo Rosso. By 1889, the year of the great Exposition Universelle that celebrated the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution and helped to establish Paris as the art capital of Europe, Barabandy was living in Paris. He changed his name to Richard Barabandy and found work as an illustrator for several Parisian newspapers, including Triboulet, Soleil du dimanche, and l'Illustration.

Barabandy did many covers for sheet music using his naturalistic Art Nouveau designs. Three are found here: C. CHAMINADE. Joie d'Aimer. Duo pour baryton et mezzo-soprano poésie de Edmond Guinard. - MADEL CLERC. En Jonque Barcarolle [musical score] - S.LOEN. Cantique pour la Nuit de Noel. Another title-page design is for his work on ornaments: BARABANDY. 40 pages d'ornements modernes á deux couleurs (apparently unpublished). The remaining designs are border and cartouche designs, and range from early sketches, to final renderings fully colored and signed.