Art Nouveau influenced ornaments for native embroideries in the Czech lands, 1905

Josef ŠÍMA: STUDIE LIDOVÝCH VÝŠIVEK Z ČECH, MORAVY A UHER. SLOVENSKA [STUDIES OF NATIVE EMBROIDERIES IN BOHEMIA, MORAVIA AND NORTH-EASTERN HUNGARY]. Sbírka kreseb ku poznáni našeho lidového ornamentu výšivkového. Obsahuje: Ornament geometrický, některé základní stilosivané květy a příklady lemovek, ozbod rožních i náplní ozdobných, jednoduchých i složitějších z různých oblastí krojových. [A collection of drawings to learn about our folk embroidery ornament. Containing: Geometric ornament, some basic stylised flowers and examples of borders of aprons, corner-pieces and decorative fillings, simple and more complex from different areas of costume.] With 30 multicolour lithographic plates and 19 b/w text illustrations in the enclosed booklet. Brno: A. Píša („Unie“) 1909.

Folio (50:35 cm, plates) und 4to (booklet). 1 not numbered leaf (title), 30 plates; 12 not numbered pages. Colour lithography, cliché printing and letterpress, loose in the original publisher's half cloth cardboard portfolio on creme stock with multicolour pictorial title printing, to open with 3 bands.

Extensive collection with striking lithographic plates in bright colours showing fine examples of folkloristic ornaments, many of them with Art Nouveau influence.

Contents: Starting with geometric patterns and followed by stylised floral designs, there are also included numerous borders of aprons, corner-pieces in fine open work, simple and ornamental patterns of trimmings, all from national dresses of various regions, accurately and faithfully drawn after the designs and colours of the original garments, adapted the for use in school of arts and crafts. Enclosed is a quarto booklet of 12 pages with explanations how to draw the patterns of different plates, as well as measurements on 15 b/w illustrations and 5 additional illustrations after photos of original garment. – The portfolio is skilfully executed an by Josef Šíma (1859-1929), a high school professor of drawing, collector of folk embroidery and pioneer of documenting folk culture through photography.

The present portfolio was also published with a English, French and German language cover and booklet.

Condition: Upper front band fragmented, cardboard map at edges and corners slightly bumped and worn, boards and last page of text booklet minimally stained title page with slight stains of former cleaning, some plates minimally finger-stained and browned at edges, plate no. XXVIII slightly bumped at upper edge; generally a well preserved portfolio throughout, in all language variants a very rarely offered item indeed.

Rarity: As of August 27th 2021 there is no other copy available at the market in any of the versions. OCLC and KVK show only 5 copies of the Czech original version in institutional holdings outside of the Czech Republic (Cambridge UL, Cleveland PL, Harvard, Saint Louis PL, Paris [BnF]), none of them cataloguing the originally enclosed booklet. RBH quotes no auction result at all, neither does JAP/APO.

Reference: Toman, Nový slovník československých výtvarných umělců, 3rd ed., vol. 2 (1950), p. 72 cit. WBIS/CSBA.