Daphnis et Chloé
Pierre Bonnard
French, 1867–1947
1902
A finely bound illustrated edition of Daphnis et Chloé containing 156 lithographs by Pierre Bonnard, in which the artist translated a classical pastoral into intimate, decorative images through drawing and color.
A worn deep‑teal leather cover—ribbed at the spine—centers a pressed floral medallion, giving the book the compact, jewel‑like presence of a private object meant to be handled and savored.
The volume shows how early 20th‑century artists like Bonnard brought modern pictorial sensibilities into bookmaking and lithography, blurring the line between fine art and illustration and helping to define the artist’s book as an important medium.
Medium
Illustrated book with 156 lithographs (including wrapper front)
Dimensions
page (each): 11 7/16 × 9 3/8" (29 × 23.8 cm); overall (closed): 11 13/16 × 9 15/16 × 1 3/4" (30 × 25.2 × 4.4 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
The Louis E. Stern Collection
Accession
685.1964.1-156
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
