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an image of a picture of a couple laying under a treean image of a painting of a woman and a man in front of a waterfalla painting of two men in a cave with one holding a fishan image of a painting of a man and a woman in a field with sheep
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Estimate €800 - €1,200
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Description
[LONGUS] [Daphnis and Chloe]. Large 8vo box (29.2 x 19.8 cm) in burgundy shagreen, with a Plexiglas window on the front cover and a gilt title on the spine (Laurenchet workshops). A collection of 13 original watercolours signed (sometimes with initials) by Martin van Maele (image size: 17 x 10.5 cm) to illustrate Longus’s pastoral novel, Daphnis and Chloe. This edition appears never to have been published. Each watercolour (except one), rendered in a free style, bears a title in pencil: ‘She washed his back and shoulders’, ‘Kissing from behind, imitating the goats’, ‘The cicada on Chloe’s breast’… Martin Van Maele (1863–1926) was a French draughtsman and engraver, particularly renowned for his erotic figures. A close associate of Félicien Rops, he illustrated literary classics (Les Fleurs du mal, L’Âne d’or and La Religieuse) as well as openly erotic works (Sacher-Masoch’s Venus in Furs, Haraucourt’s *The Legend of the Sexes*…). Between 1901 and 1907, he worked with the publisher Charles Carrington, with whom he published his most personal work: *The Great Dance of Death of the Living*.
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About the sale Books, Manuscripts & Antique Engravings, including the José Luis Dotti Library
Auction location
Auction time 09/23/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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