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Choffard

Chapter 6: LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
By Vera Salomons
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ArtBiographiesFrench Literature

About This Book

The author offers a compact biography and critical appraisal of Pierre-Philippe Choffard, tracing uncertain early dates and apprenticeship, his development into an eminent vignettist, and the graceful economy of his ornament and etching. The book assesses characteristic themes and techniques, highlights the celebrated set of etchings for Ovid's Metamorphoses, and reproduces examples in photogravure. It also provides a catalogue of books illustrated by him, addenda, a list of illustrations, and indexes to assist collectors, while mixing archival references, personal admiration, and comparative remarks to situate his work within eighteenth-century French book-decoration.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

All the reproductions are from illustrations etched or engraved by Choffard after his own designs and are practically the size of the originals, unless otherwise stated.

The frontispiece of this book is a tail-piece from “Contes et nouvelles en vers” by La Fontaine, 1762.

The reproduction facing the frontispiece is after Choffard’s visiting card.

The head-piece from Choffard’s book entitled “Notice historique sur l’art de la gravure en France,” 1804, is here used as a head-piece to “The life of Choffard.” This little composition is supposed, by some, to represent the artist himself, when a young man, in his studio.

A tail-piece from “Contes et nouvelles en vers” by La Fontaine, 1762, here forms a tail-piece to “The life of Choffard.”

A head-piece in “Dictionnaire des graveurs, etc.” by Basan, 1789, is here placed as a head-piece to “The art of Choffard.”

A tail-piece of “Traité du beau essentiel dans les arts, appliqué particulièrement à l’architecture, etc.” by Briseux, 1752, is here used as a tail-piece to “The art of Choffard.” Much reduced.

The head-piece to the “Catalogue of Books” is a tail-piece from “Contes et nouvelles en vers” by La Fontaine, 1762.

A tail-piece from “Contes et nouvelles en vers” by La Fontaine, 1762, is here used for the same purpose for the “Catalogue of Books.”

1. A vignette from “Essai géographique sur les isles britanniques, etc.” by Bellin, 1757. Nearly the actual size.
2. Tail-piece from “Contes et nouvelles en vers” by La Fontaine, 1762.
3. Head-piece from “Les métamorphoses d’Ovide,” 1767-1771.
4. Head-piece from “Les métamorphoses d’Ovide,” 1767-1771.
5. A drawing by Choffard for the tail-piece in “Les métamorphoses d’Ovide,” 1767-1771 edition. Reduced.
6. Eau-forte of the tail-piece, just mentioned, in “Les métamorphoses d’Ovide,” 1767-1771 edition. Reduced.
7. Finished plate of the last mentioned tail-piece. Reduced.
8. Frontispiece of a subsequent edition of “Les métamorphoses d’Ovide.” It is a combination of the decorated half-title and a fleuron in the 1767-1771 edition of the same book. Reduced.
9. Vignette above the dedication to Queen Marie Leczinska in “Nouvel abrégé chronologique de l’histoire de France, etc.” by Président Hénault, 1768. The portrait is engraved by Gaucher after Nattier and the setting is by Choffard.
10. Head-piece from “Les saisons” by Saint-Lambert, 1769.
11. Head-piece from “Les saisons” by Saint-Lambert, 1775.
12. Head-piece from “Le jugement de Paris” by Imbert, 1772.
13. Fleuron on the title-page of volume vii of “Collection complète des œuvres de J.-J. Rousseau,” 1774-1783.
14. The same illustration as the preceding one, only draped. This plate was never published and is cited nowhere.
15. Decorative title-page of “Catalogue du cabinet de Mr. Neyman” by Basan, 1776. Slightly reduced.
16. Fleuron on the title-page of volume i of “Histoire de la maison de Bourbon” by Désormeaux, 1779-1788.
17. Tail-piece from “Histoire de la maison de Bourbon” by Désormeaux, 1779-1788. Slightly reduced.
18. Head-piece from “Préjugés militaires” by the Prince de Ligne, 1780.
19. Dedication vignette in “Chansons nouvelles” by de Piis, 1785.
20. Head-piece in volume ii of “Dictionnaire des graveurs, etc.” by Basan, 1789.
21. Fleuron on the title-page of “Histoire de la mesure du temps par les horloges” by Ferdinand Berthoud, 1802.