Fine Arts: 20th & 21st century part II Art Nouveau... Lot 1896

[Fine Arts: 20th & 21st century part II] [Art Nouveau] M. P. Verneuil (1869-1942). L'animal dans la decoration Publ. in 1897 by the Librairie centrale des Beaux-Arts in Paris, an introduction by Eugène Grasset. Folio of 60 plates. Contemp. binding with marble paper. Spine and corners of binding worn, slight foxing, otherwise in excellent condition. This copy lacks 11 plates: 3; 7; 13; 19; 25; 31; 37; 43; 45; 49; 55. In this portfolio, Verneuil - artist and interior decorator - features colour plates with imaginative designs showing expressive, sinuous curvilinear forms reflecting the emergence of Art Nouveau. It celebrates a rich variety of designs based on plant and animal forms: birds; fish and other sea creatures; seashells; insects (including the favorite fin de siècle motifs of butterflies and dragonflies); and environmental plant forms such as flowers and trees. Reducing living creatures into playful decorative devices and geometric patterns, he provides dozens of striking examples to serve as models for adaptation by other interior designers. This particular work was one of Verneuil's most influential in promoting the Art Nouveau style.