Edmond de Goncourt.

Lot 31
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Estimation :
3000 - 4000 EUR
Result without fees
Result : 3 400EUR
Edmond de Goncourt.
La Fille Elisa. Paris, G. Charpentier, 1877. In-12: red jansenist morocco, spine ribbed, five gilt fillets in the inner lining, untrimmed, gilt head, cover preserved (Devauchelle). First edition. Famous novel, unvarnished portrait of a miserable and criminal prostitute, La Fille Élisa caused a scandal. Important autograph message signed on the false title: To Degas souvenir bien amical Edmond de Goncourt Goncourt had met Degas three years earlier, on Thursday 12 February 1874. He reports his visit in the Journal: "Yesterday I spent the day in the studio of a strange painter, named Degas. After many attempts, many trials, many points pushed in all directions, he has fallen in love with the modern; and in the modern, he has set his sights on laundresses and dancers. At bottom, the choice is not so bad." He would become more critical of the painter in later years, multiplying harsh notations about his character. As Christian Galantaris notes in his article on L'Illustration des romans d'Edmond et Jules de Goncourt (in Cahiers E. et J. de Goncourt, 2009, pp. 105-111), La Fille Elisa "inspired a few very vivid drawings by Degas, drawings that were not published." These drawings are preserved in the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. A good copy. Some spotting, especially on the first and last leaves. Restorations to the cover.
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