Costumes Belgiques, Civils, Militaires, Religieux, Anciens et Modernes
Bruxelles: J.B.A.M. Jobard, 1825. Item #05473
A Magnificent Panorama of Belgian Costume Through the Ages
The Exceptionally Rare First Edition in the Original Twenty-Five Parts,
with 124 Superb Hand-Colored Lithograph Plates
[MADOU, Jean-Baptiste, and Jean-Louis VAN HAMELRYCK]. Costumes Belgiques, Civils, Militaires, Religieux, Anciens et Modernes. Dessinés par Madou. Vingt-cinq livraisons de cinq planches, et une feuille de texte. Bruxelles: J.B.A.M. Jobard & Jobard Frères, 1825–1830.
First edition, complete in the original twenty-five parts as issued, with 124 superb hand-colored lithograph plates.
Folio (12 3/8 x 9 1/2 inches; 314 x 241 mm.). Engraved vignette title-page, introduction, descriptive text accompanying the plates, and concluding table of contents. The first fifty-five plates signed by Jean-Baptiste Madou, the remaining sixty-nine by Jean-Louis Van Hamelryck.
Original publisher's lithographed blue-gray printed wrappers, with advertisements on the rear covers. Preserved in a tan cloth chemise within a handsome full red straight-grain morocco folding case, smooth spine decoratively ruled and lettered in gilt, marbled edges.
A few minor imperfections: paper fault in the lower margin of pages 58-59 (Part XI), not affecting the text; Plate 68 (Part XIV) with a small stain just touching the image; Plates 69 and 70 with small portions of the blank lower right corners torn away, not affecting the images; Plate 94 (Part XVII) with staining to the outer blank margins; Plate 96 (Part XX) with very slight marginal foxing; Plates 97, 98, and 100 with light marginal staining; Plate 111 (Part XXIII) with light marginal staining; Plates 116, 117, 119, and 120 (Part XXIV) with light marginal staining, none affecting the images. Wrapper of Part XIV with a small tear at the lower spine corner.
Aside from these minor faults, a near fine set, with the beautifully colored plates generally fresh and bright, preserved in their exceptionally rare original printed wrappers.
An extraordinary survival of one of the most attractive and comprehensive Belgian costume books of the early nineteenth century. Published in twenty-five separate parts over a period of five years, Costumes Belgiques presents a magnificent pictorial survey of the civil, military, and ecclesiastical dress of Belgium, extending from the Middle Ages to the early nineteenth century.
The 124 delicately hand-colored lithographs depict an astonishing variety of historical figures, ranging from medieval knights, noblemen, ladies of the court, and richly dressed princes to soldiers, officers, clergymen, monks, nuns, merchants, and ordinary townspeople. Particularly appealing are the representations of traditional Flemish dress, elaborate Renaissance costumes, military uniforms, and the distinctive habits of the various religious orders.
The figures are presented against delicately rendered landscape and architectural backgrounds, often with small details that bring the subjects vividly to life. The costumes themselves are depicted with remarkable precision, their rich colors, intricate embroidery, elaborate headwear, and distinctive accessories providing a fascinating visual record of the changing fashions, customs, and social distinctions of the Low Countries.
The work is also an important example of the early development of lithography in Belgium. The first fifty-five plates were executed by Jean-Baptiste Madou (1796–1877), one of the most accomplished Belgian lithographers of his generation. The remaining sixty-nine were contributed by Jean-Louis Van Hamelryck, whose work continues the series with comparable attention to historical detail and decorative effect.
Jean-Baptiste Madou was born in Brussels and studied at the city's Academy of Fine Arts under Pierre Joseph Célestin François. Initially employed as a draftsman in the military topographical service at Kortrijk, he began his artistic career around 1820, rapidly establishing a reputation for his exceptional skill as a lithographer and illustrator.
During the following decades he contributed to many of the most important illustrated publications devoted to the history, costume, architecture, and scenery of Belgium and the Netherlands. Among his notable works were Vues pittoresques de la Belgique, La Physionomie de la société en Europe depuis 1400 jusqu'à nos jours (1836), and Soixante-Dix Vues Pittoresques de la Hollande, de la Belgique et du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg (1842). His work was distinguished by its lively observation, delicate draftsmanship, and remarkable ability to convey the character of historical costume and everyday life.
Jean-Louis Van Hamelryck, active during the first half of the nineteenth century, was likewise an accomplished Belgian painter and lithographer. His contributions to the later parts of Costumes Belgiques are particularly noteworthy for their finely detailed military and historical subjects.
The bibliographer Von Lipperheide notes that the later plates bear the initials "V.H." or the full name Van Hamelryck, together with dates ranging from 1828 to 1830, confirming the extended period over which the publication appeared.
Of exceptional importance is the preservation of the original twenty-five parts. Costume books of this period were generally issued in installments, which purchasers subsequently had bound into volumes. As a consequence, complete sets retaining their original wrappers are considerably more difficult to find than bound copies. The present example preserves not only the full complement of plates and descriptive text but also the original form in which the work was offered to its earliest subscribers.
The beautifully printed blue-gray wrappers, retaining their advertisements, provide valuable evidence of the publication's original commercial history, while the remarkable freshness of the hand-colored plates makes this set particularly appealing.
A magnificent and exceptionally rare survival, complete in its original twenty-five parts, with 124 superb hand-colored lithographs. An outstanding example of early nineteenth-century Belgian color printing and one of the most desirable illustrated costume books of the period.
Bobins, The Exotic and the Beautiful, II, 538; Brunet III, 1289; Colas 1932; Hiler, p. 560; Lipperheide II, 962; cf. Vinet 2208.
Price: $8,500.00