LANÇON (A.). -VERON (Eugène) and LANÇON (A.). The Third Inva - Lot 41

LANÇON (A.). -VERON (Eugène) and LANÇON (A.). The Third Invasion. I. From the declaration of war to the capitulation of Sedan. - II. The Siege of Paris. War in the provinces. Paris, Librairie de l'art - Delagrave, 1876-1877. 2 vol. large in-folio, half red chagrin, spine ribbed and gilt (period binding). Complete with 154 etching plates from the "grand edition" of Eugène Véron's work. One of 500 numbered copies on wove paper. Lancon (1836-1887), sergeant in a battalion during the 1870 War, then linked to the Commune, was previously best known for his animal sculptures and engravings. The strange, yet profoundly truthful emphasis of these scenes struck Theophile Gautier, who wrote of his impressions: "These are not official battles, with a staff pacing around the victor and a few tasteful, academic deaths in the foreground (...). These are quick sketches, drawn from life on a travel notebook, by a brave artist, following an ambulance. Not an object that hasn't been seen, not a line that isn't sincere. No arrangement, no composition. This is truth in its unmitigated horror, in its sinister weirdness. "(Palat, p. 480). Without the 15 hors-texte maps. Some foxing.