Torso Landscape Prints

This exquisite lithograph and pochoir with hand coloring by Jean Cocteau (1889–1963), titled Sans titre (Untitled), from the album Le Livre blanc (The White Book), precede dun frontispice et accompagne de 17 dessins de Jean Cocteau (preceded by a frontispiece and accompanied by 17 drawings by Jean Cocteau), originates from the 1930 edition published by Editions du Signe, Paris, printed by Maitres-Imprimeurs, Ducros et Colas, Paris, and hand colored by M.B. Armington (a probable pseudonym of Jean Cocteau), May 10, 1930. The work reflects Cocteaus mastery of linear elegance and psychological nuance, distilling intimacy, vulnerability, and symbolic clarity into a composition that occupies a pivotal place in early twentieth-century modernism and queer cultural history. Executed as a lithograph and pochoir with hand coloring on velin d'Arches paper, this work measures 11.81 x 9.06 inches. Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. The edition exemplifies the refined craftsmanship of Ducros and Colas, Maitres-Imprimeurs, and the exceptional hand-coloring attributed to Cocteau himself. ARTWORK DETAILS Artist: After Jean Cocteau (1889–1963) Title: Sans titre (Untitled), from the album Le Livre blanc (The White Book), precede dun frontispice et accompagne de 17 dessins de Jean Cocteau (preceded by a frontispiece and accompanied by 17 drawings by Jean Cocteau) Year: 1930 Medium: Lithograph and pochoir with hand coloring on velin d'Arches paper Size: 11.81 x 9.06 inches Inscription: Unsigned and unnumbered, as issued Publisher: Editions du Signe, Paris Printer: Maitres-Imprimeurs, Ducros et Colas, Paris Catalogue Raisonne References: Bezit, Emmanuel. Dictionnaire Critique et Documentaire des Peintres, Sculpteurs, Dessinateurs et Graveurs. Gründ, 1976, vol. 3, p. 744. Carteret, Leon. Le Tresor du Bibliophile: Livres Illustres Modernes, 1875–1945. Editions Carteret, 1958, vol. 5, p. 51. van der Veen, H. In Liefde Verzameld: Homoseksualiteit en de Nederlandse Literatuur. De Buitenkant, 1992, no. 136. Monod, Luc. Manuel de Lamateur de Livres Illustres Modernes: 1875–1975. Ides & Calendes, 1992, no. 2912. Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium Provenance: From the album Le Livre blanc, published by Editions du Signe, Paris; printed by Ducros et Colas, Paris; hand colored by M.B. Armington (a probable pseudonym of Jean Cocteau), May 10, 1930 NOTES Excerpted from the album (translated from French), This album, whose plates have been entirely colored by hand by M.B. Armington, an artist-painter, was completed to print on May 10, 1930, by Ducros and Colas, Maitres-Imprimeurs in Paris. The draw has been limited to: XVIII examples on japon nacre, each containing one of the XVIII original drawings and a suite on Hollande, numbered from I to XVIII; VI examples, H.C., marked from A to F; XVIII examples on japon imperial, numbered from XIX to XXXVI; VI examples, H.C., marked from G to L; CCCLXXX examples on velin d'Arches, numbered from XXXVII to CDXVI; XXII examples, H.C., marked from A to V. ABOUT THE PUBLICATION Le Livre blanc (The White Book), published in 1930 by Editions du Signe with plates printed by Ducros et Colas and hand colored by the enigmatic M.B. Armington (likely Cocteau himself), occupies a singular and foundational place in the history of LGBTQ...