I think that one could also say that those sets are now "pied"--no doubt irrevocably so.
>>> belanger@virginia.edu 07/15/04 08:17PM >>>
Earlier today, I received the following email form message from the book
and print dealer, W. Graham Arader . The new word (new to me, anyway) is
"distributed." The old-fashioned term is "broken." Cool. -tb
A Syndication of John James Audubon's Octavo Edition of The Birds of America
On June 25, 2004, the Sachsen-Meiningen Elephant folio set of John James
Audubon's Birds of America, was distributed for sale at Christie's, with
several of the aquatints reaching record prices. The value of Audubon's
large folio ornithological masterpieces, with images such as the "Roseate
Spoonbill" achieving the amazing auction price of $175,500, is testament to
their lasting appeal and indicative of the growing value of all the Audubon
editions.
In the wake of this tremendous sale, Arader Galleries is pleased to offer
his smaller Octavo edition for distribution. This first edition set, with
each lithograph measuring approximately 10" x 6 ½", is singular for its
amazing condition and vibrant color. Each image is a polished jewel and
visible evidence of Audubon's skill.
Although a foreigner by birth, John James Audubon has carved an enduring
place in our national folklore alongside Johnny Appleseed. His name
connotes a kind of genteel environmentalism of birds-watchers and
watercolorists. His greatest achievement, The Birds of America, is part of
our self-image, and has been for well over a hundred years -- so much so
that it's unclear whether the volumes should be shelved under Art or
Americana. But like so many of our forefathers, Audubon invented
himself. The character he chose to play was that of a swaggering
adventurer and frontiersman. In reality he was an excitable Frenchman,
with a taste for American wilderness myths and a flair for self-promotion.
Audubon was born in Haiti, the illegitimate Creole son of a French sea
merchant and a local chambermaid. He was raised in France until 1803, when
his father sent him to the United States to avoid being drafted into the
Napoleonic wars. There he started what proved to be a long run of
unsuccessful schemes. He tried to run a lead mine in Pennsylvania. It
folded. After marrying, he opened up a store in Louisville. It, too, went
under. He started a steamboat line, and it led him into bankruptcy. By
then he was 35 and, he admitted to his wife, a failure. But he had one
last idea: to make portraits of the birds of the continent and sell them.
John James Audubon devoted himself to an unprecedented project, becoming
the first to attempt the seemingly insurmountable task of documenting all
the bird life of North America. His remarkable talent culminated in the
publication in London of his 435-plate Birds of America
(1827-1838). Audubon had found his niche and ever the tireless
entrepreneur he soon realized that money was to be made from the
publication of his masterpiece in a smaller scale, which would make his
works accessible to a wider public. Thus, even before the Elephant folio
of The Birds of America was complete, work had begun on an Octavo edition.
All of the birds from Audubon's original folio aquatints were reduced by
camera lucida for lithography by the artist's son John Woodhouse, and new
species were added. The Octavo edition was expanded to 500 plates, and
included the text of Audubon's "Ornithological Biography." Because it
incorporated Audubon's text and several new plates, it is considered the
first complete edition of Audubon's Birds of America, as well as the first
American edition. Audubon's "little work," attracted nearly 1,200
subscribers and became the format through which his ornithology was most
widely disseminated in the nineteenth century.
At one o'clock, on Saturday, September 25, 2004, an Octavo set of John
James Audubon's Birds of America will be distributed in New York, at 1016
Madison Avenue. 500 plates will be dispersed by way of syndication. Fifty
shares are available and each share will contain 10 hand-colored
lithographs. The cost of each share is $5,000.
The order of distribution will be determined by the random selection of a
number between one and fifty. Four rounds of selection will be
provided. In the first cycle, one lithograph will be chosen in the order
of the numbers selected (i.e. one through fifty). In the second round, the
shareholder in the reverse order will choose two images (i.e. fifty through
one). In the third, three prints will be selected in the original order
(i.e. one through fifty), and in the fourth and final round, four
lithographs will be chosen in reverse order (fifty through one).
Each shareholder is guaranteed to select at least $11,000 of artwork in the
distribution. If for any reason you are unhappy with your selection, you
will receive a full refund of your money.
Please accept my invitation to take part in this excellent opportunity.
Very truly yours,
W. Graham Arader III
Terry Belanger : University Professor : University of Virginia : Rare Book
School
114 Alderman Library : Charlottesville, VA 22903 : Email belanger@virginia.edu
Telephone 434-924-8851 Fax 434-924-8824 : URL <http://www.rarebookschool.org>
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