Poemes de Charles d'Orleans by Matisse, Henri - 1950

Paris: Teriade Editeur, 1950. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine. Folio. Limited Edition. In original lithographed glassine wrappers.Three green fleur de lis illustrated on front cover, with poets name, and a larger fleur de lis on rear cover. This is copy number 1172 of 1200 signed by Matisse in pencil on colophon.100 colourful crayon and pencil lithographs on loose pages, printed on thick Velin d'Arches paper at the Mourlot workshop in Paris. Illustrated frontis of medieval poet Charles, Duke of Orleans [1394-1465], who, taken prisoner after the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Many of his poems were written during his long captivity over a 25 year period. He wrote courtly and romantic poems set in ballad and rondeau forms. The poems are lithographed in Matisse own hand, with decorative borders with multiple colours. Wrappers yellowed, and stained along spine and joints of front cover. Rubbing to spine edges. Stain to inner hinge of rear pastedown endpaper and sporadic stains throughout interior, but otherwise in near fine and an excellent example of the livre de artiste. Matisse was encouraged to publish an artists book in conversation with friend and fellow artist, Andre Rouveyre. In their correspondance, Matisse included decorative transcriptions of Charles poems. Rouveyre, in turn, had encouraged Matisse to produce a livre de artist. "In a letter dated 3 February 1943, Rouveyre raised the idea of an artist's book comprising Charles's poems, but written solely in Matisse's hand." [Brown K. (2013) Influence as Appropriation of the Creative Gesture: Henri Matisse's Poèmes de Charles d'Orléans. In: Baldwin T., Fowler J., de Medeiros A. (eds) Questions of Influence in Modern French Literature. Palgrave Studies in Modern European Literature. Palgrave Macmillan, London]. The project was complete in 1950, and during the same year Matisse would receive the grande prize at the 25th Biennale International Art Exhibition in Venice.