Mesmerising Beauty: A Unique Hand-Coloured Copy with Original Gouaches to François-Louis Schmied’s Largest Work - Homer's Odyssey of 1934

Schmied, François-Louis. L'Odyssée d'Homère. Paris, décembre 1934. 10 original gouaches and 102 hand coloured proofs (“bons à tirer”) printed on vellum by François-Louis Schmied. Bound in 2 volumes. Large Quarto. White and black morocco bindings with engraved silver clasps (designed by Schmied).

The dedication copy for Léon Givaudan: featuring 10 original gouaches and 102 unique hand coloured proofs (“bons à tirer”) printed on vellum by celebrated Swiss Art Deco painter, engraver, printer, and book binder François-Louis Schmied.

Schmied’s illustrations play upon stylistic parallels between Ancient Greek motifs and the Modern Art Deco aesthetic. His compositions feature deep fields of blue and gold which perfectly complement the Odyssey’s mediterranean setting, while offering a subtle nod to the most powerful of all colour schemes in Medieval book illumination. The 102 bons à tirer are all finished by hand and may serve as an equivalent to the other originals of Schmied.

The two-volume bindings, in luxurious white and black morocco with engraved silver clasps, were also designed by Schmied. Handwritten dedication from Schmied to Swiss perfumer and collector Léon Givaudan.

Provenance: See Léon Givaudan’s sale, Guy Loudmer, Paris, 3 June 1988: 502.000 francs plus premium = ca. 580.000, by far the highest price of that famous sale.

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