Choffard — Reading Notes

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In Category - Design Photography

Authors: Salomons, Vera Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2015 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Choffard, Pierre-Philippe, 1730-1809 -- Catalogs; Illustration of books -- France; Illustrated books -- France -- History -- 18th century -- Bibliography -- Catalogs Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 18,334

Reading time 80 min

Text sections 8

The source record for Choffard — Reading Notes measures this digital text at 18,334 words, 1 hr 20 min estimated reading time, and 8 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 16.6 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Choffard, Pierre-Philippe, 1730-1809 -- Catalogs,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #47998

Vera Salomons' 1912 study catalogues the etched work of Pierre-Philippe Choffard, an 18th-century French vignettist, with 29 photogravures. The book combines a personal preface, a biographical sketch, and a detailed bibliography of books containing Choffard's engravings, often noting collaborative attributions.

Editorial Edition Score 4.6/5

★★★★★ ★★★★★

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Title & short description10 pts
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Edition quality

File: pg47998

Read the Text

XVIIIth CENTURY FRENCH BOOK-ILLUSTRATORS

ILLUSTRATED WITH 29 PHOTOGRAVURES FROM NEGATIVES BY THE AUTHOR

LONDON JOHN & EDWARD BUMPUS LTD. MCMXII

(ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

CHISWICK PRESS: CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND CO. TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON.

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THE PRESENT LITTLE VOLUME

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You may never have heard of Choffard and never have seen his work, but if any production from his hand should be brought before your eyes, however insignificant, and you fail to admire it, then it is to confess that no artistic corner exists in your soul!

Of all the vignettists, Choffard is the freshest, most ingenious, and charming. Elegance exists in all his productions equalled, perhaps, by no other artist.

None act so well a love scene on the stage as those who love each other in real life, so with all things and with book writing in particular. To love an artist, gives the author a hand unfettered in dealing with his work; it becomes no longer a forced history of his art, but a work of affection free from affectation.

The author of this little book is a true admirer of Choffard and you may accept the contents as a faithful representation of the artist and his work. I therefore trust that after you have perused the pages which follow, if not already an admirer of Choffard, you will have become one.

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Most biographers are so self-confident that they believe the subject of their book will prove interesting to others; the present writer is no exception to the rule and trusts that the following pages may help, in a small degree, to attract the reader’s attention to the work of Pierre-Philippe Choffard.

The 1762 edition of La Fontaine’s “Contes et nouvelles en vers,” which is illustrated by Eisen’s masterpieces and by some of Choffard’s exquisite etchings, is the work of that period best known to British book-lovers; possibly in a measure due to the free character of the stories, yet probably owing to these beautiful plates by Choffard and Eisen. It seems, therefore, fair to assume that art lovers of to-day, who interest themselves in French illustrated books of the eighteenth century, may care to know something more about the artist whose lovely work is a source of so much pleasure and admiration to them.

The achievements of Choffard do not occupy the high place they deserve in this country; as a whole, they are too little known to do so, and collectors find such difficulty in obtaining impressions of his etchings in a fine state, that this draughtsman’s great gifts are frequently misjudged in consequence.

One of the best proofs, although commonplace evidence, of the enduring charm which French eighteenth-century design possesses, is that the most admired present day catalogues and business cards are those with reproductions of designs by artists of that period, Choffard’s work being constantly found amongst them.

The author wishes gratefully to acknowledge the kind advice her father has given her on a few difficult points and the valuable assistance he afforded her, by generously allowing the writer to verify the greater part of the volumes mentioned in this booklet, by means of his library. For the description of those works that the author has been unable to see in the above-mentioned collection or in museums she has referred to “Les Graveurs du dix-huitième siècle” by MM. Portalis and Béraldi, and the other equally excellent reference book “Guide de l’Amateur de livres à gravures du XVIIIe. siècle” by Henry Cohen.

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THE LIFE OF CHOFFARD 9

THE ART OF CHOFFARD 19

CATALOGUE OF THE BEST-KNOWN BOOKS 37 ILLUSTRATED BY CHOFFARD

ADDENDA TO CATALOGUE OF BOOKS 97

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 101

INDEX OF THE WORKS MENTIONED IN 107 THE CATALOGUE OF BOOKS ILLUSTRATED BY CHOFFARD

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So little is known concerning Pierre-Philippe Choffard himself, that it is difficult to give many facts about his life or even to state with confidence that the year 1730 is that of the great artist’s birth, since Heinecken gives 1729 and other writers mention 1736 as being the date.

Continue Reading →

Vera Salomons opens her 1912 monograph on Pierre-Philippe Choffard with a direct appeal: if you see his work and fail to admire it, you confess to having no artistic soul. This confident, even provocative tone sets the stage for a study that is as much a personal homage as a scholarly catalogue. Salomons, who also took the photographs for the 29 photogravures, positions herself as a devoted admirer, not a detached historian. The book’s structure reflects this dual character: a brief biographical sketch is followed by a substantial annotated bibliography of books containing Choffard’s etchings, often noting which parts of a plate were engraved by Choffard versus other hands such as Cochin or Gravelot.

A Vignettist’s Reputation

Salomons argues that Choffard is the freshest, most ingenious, and charming of all vignettists, and that elegance exists in all his productions perhaps unmatched by any other artist. She acknowledges that his achievements do not occupy the high place they deserve in England, partly because collectors find it difficult to obtain fine impressions of his etchings. As evidence of enduring charm, she notes that modern catalogues and business cards frequently reproduce designs by Choffard and his contemporaries. The preface also reveals a personal stake: the author believes that loving an artist gives the writer an unfettered hand, making the work a labor of affection rather than a forced history.

Collaborative Attributions

The bibliography entries repeatedly parse which parts of a plate were engraved by Choffard and which by others. For example, in the Etrennes Galantes of 1751, a vignette with a cupid is partly by Choffard; Jombert attributes the engraving of the cupid’s face to Cochin and the rest to Choffard. In the Almanach Iconologique series, Choffard engraved ten plates and a decorative title-page after Gravelot. The entry for Helman’s Faits Mémorables des Empereurs de la Chine notes that Portalis and Béraldi attribute the eau-forte of one vignette to Choffard. These details show how Salomons carefully distinguishes Choffard’s hand within collaborative works.

The Soufflot Anecdote and Royal Patronage

In the biographical section, Salomons recounts that King Louis XV, when seriously ill, vowed to build a new church to Sainte Genevieve if he recovered. The first stone was laid in 1764, but the architect Soufflot’s dome began to crack; he died in 1780 amid criticism. This story, though brief, illustrates the intersection of royal patronage, architectural ambition, and public failure that contextualizes Choffard’s era. The book also notes that a frontispiece engraved by Choffard for Rodolphe de Erlach’s Code du Bonheur (1788) was dedicated to Catherine II, linking the artist to broader European networks of power and taste.

Salomons’ monograph is best approached as a specialized reference work for collectors and art historians interested in 18th-century French book illustration. The bibliography entries are the core of the book, offering precise details about editions, states, and collaborative attributions. Readers should consult the 29 photogravures alongside the text to appreciate the visual evidence that Salomons herself captured. The author’s personal enthusiasm is a constant thread, but the lasting value lies in the documentary record of Choffard’s etched oeuvre.

This meticulous catalogue of Choffard’s vignettes reminds me of a rainy afternoon spent tracing decorative borders in an old folio, each curl of foliage a small world. That same unhurried intimacy surfaced while I lingered over The Art of Interior Decoration — Reading Notes; both books feel less like studies, more like hushed conversations with a patient friend who knows every corner of a room they love.