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Vers et prose. Morceaux choisis

Name: Vers et prose. Morceaux choisis
SKU: VERS-002
Price: 950 EUR
Availability: InStock

SKU VERS-002

This second edition of *Vers et prose. Morceaux choisis*, published by Perrin et Cie in 1893, is one of the principal anthologies assembled by Mallarmé during his lifetime. It brings together poetry and prose intended to present his concentrated, suggestive poetics to a broader reading public. The volume is fronted by Whistler's original lithographic portrait of Mallarmé, printed by Belfond & Cie and here on chine appliqué. The conjunction of Mallarmé's writing with Whistler's restrained, atmospheric graphic art makes the book a characteristic fin-de-siècle object in which literature and visual art reinforce one another. This copy has exceptional personal interest through Mallarmé's signed autograph presentation inscription to an excellente et ancienne amie whose name has not yet been securely deciphered. The handsome signed Loutrel binding, preserving the original wrappers, adds a further bibliophilic dimension. Despite slight fading to the spine, staining to the wrappers and evident, at times numerous, foxing throughout, the copy remains structurally sound and is distinguished by its combination of autograph inscription, original Whistler graphic and signed binding.

Quantity

Mallarmé, Stéphane

James McNeill Whistler

Vers et prose. Morceaux choisis

1893 | Paris | Librairie Académique Didier, Perrin et Cie

A significant second edition issued in the same year as the original, bringing together Mallarmé's Symbolist poetics, an original Whistler lithograph and a personal autograph inscription. The signed Loutrel binding and the still-unresolved identity of the recipient give this copy exceptional individuality and bibliophilic interest.

€950

Condition Report:

In-Depth Study

References & Bibliography

Format

In-12 (Duodecimo) approx. 17 × 22 cm

Edition Particulars

Second edition of 1893 with a signed autograph presentation inscription by Stéphane Mallarmé; original lithographic portrait frontispiece by Whistler on chine appliqué with the blindstamp of Belfond & Cie; original wrappers preserved.

Paper

Chine appliqué (frontispice)

Inscription

Envoi

Product DETAIL

*Vers et prose* is not a continuous narrative but an anthology in which Mallarmé selected representative examples of his poetry and prose. It opens with poems such as *Apparition*, *Les Fenêtres*, *Soupir*, *Les Fleurs*, *Brise Marine* and *L'Azur*, followed by a group of sonnets and fragments including *Hérodiade*. Subsequent sections gather prose and literary pieces, moving between lyric poetry, poetic prose, criticism and reflection. The collection was conceived as a relatively accessible presentation of writings that had often previously appeared in more specialized or luxurious publications. It therefore offers a concentrated survey of Mallarmé's development and of his recurring concerns with language, absence, dream, beauty and the act of poetic creation itself. Its fragmentary construction and extreme verbal concentration are characteristic of Symbolism while anticipating later experiments in the autonomy of language.

ARTISTIC RELEVANCE

Whistler's portrait is artistically far more than a conventional author frontispiece. The 1892 transfer lithograph models Mallarmé through exceptionally economical lines and subtle tonal effects, fully consistent with Whistler's aesthetic of suggestion and atmospheric presence. Printed by Belfond, the image served as the frontispiece to the first three editions of *Vers et prose*. Whistler and Mallarmé were also close personal friends, making the portrait a direct artistic dialogue between poet and artist. On chine appliqué, the delicate, almost evanescent drawing gains a material refinement especially well suited to Mallarmé's own preference for suggestion over explicit description.

AVANT GARDE CONTEXT

Mallarmé belongs primarily to Symbolism rather than to a historical avant-garde movement such as Dada or Surrealism. His radical rethinking of syntax, meaning, blank space and the autonomy of the word nevertheless made him a fundamental precursor of twentieth-century literary avant-gardes. In *Vers et prose*, this modernity is already apparent in the compression of language, the priority given to suggestion and the avoidance of unambiguous reference. The book consequently occupies a pivotal position between nineteenth-century Symbolism and later modernist and avant-garde experimentation. Its relationship to the avant-garde is therefore principally that of precursor and intellectual context rather than direct participation in a movement.

PLACE IN THE OEUVRE

Within Mallarmé's oeuvre, *Vers et prose* occupies a distinctive position as a selection assembled by the poet himself from writings that had previously appeared separately or in restricted contexts. The collection provides a concentrated view of his poetic development without claiming to be a complete edition of his works. By bringing key poems and prose pieces together in one volume, it serves as an important gateway to Mallarmé's writing. The selection also reflects the exceptional care with which Mallarmé managed his public literary presence. It belongs to his mature period and precedes the typographic radicalization of *Un coup de dés* later in the decade.

PUBLISHING CONTEXT

Mallarmé conceived *Vers et prose* as a personal anthology through which he could reach readers of more regular publications directly. The project took shape in Paris with Librairie Académique Didier, Perrin et Cie and had already reached a second edition in 1893. Another portrait project was initially contemplated for the frontispiece before Whistler, by then a close friend of Mallarmé, ultimately received the commission. His lithograph was printed by Belfond and included in the early editions of the collection. The combination of a relatively accessible anthology with an original print by an internationally prominent artist demonstrates the care Mallarmé devoted to the material and visual presentation of his writing.

ANECDOTE

The most intriguing feature of this copy is Mallarmé's own signed autograph presentation inscription to an excellente et ancienne amie. The recipient's name has not yet been securely deciphered; current working readings include Madame Léni or Leni and Madame Lévi, while Lévy appears less likely because the final mark seems more consistent with an i. The wording ancienne amie gives the inscription an unusually personal tone and suggests a relationship of some duration. It may refer to a friendship shared with Mallarmé and his wife Marie Gerhard, but no evidence currently establishes this identification. Until the name can be confirmed through comparison with Mallarmé's correspondence or other autographs, the unresolved addressee remains a particularly compelling research aspect of the copy.

REFERENCE

Vicaire V, p. 476; Carteret II, p. 99; Monda & Montel, Bibliographie des poètes maudits, pp. 61-65; Talvart & Place XIII, pp. 122-123; Mallarmé, Œuvres complètes, Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, II, pp. 337-338 & 1678-1680; Mallarmé, Un destin d’écriture, 1998, n°313, p.187. Whistler: The Lithographs of James McNeill Whistler, Art Institute of Chicago Digital Edition, cat. 60, Stéphane Mallarmé, 1892. Provenance/auction: Piguet, Vente de juin 2026, lot 2248. Comparable envoi: Sotheby's, Bibliothèque Hubert Heilbronn, 11-05-2021, lot 139 (Henri Cazalis).

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