STEVENS (Alfred) and GERVEX (Henri). Histoire du siècle, 178 - Lot 252

STEVENS (Alfred) and GERVEX (Henri). Histoire du siècle, 1789-1889, photogravure reproductions of paintings by Alfred Stevens and Gervex. Librairie artistique H. Launette et Cie, G. Boudet, Paris (1889); in-folio (50x40 cm), half cloth boards, gilt title and publisher on boards. Bound and decorated with 12 plates (a little distended) with opposite silhouettes and names of the people depicted, plates reproduced by Dujardin, Pierre Petit. Photo of the panoramic canvas for the 1889 Universal Exhibition, intended for display in a rotunda in the Tuileries Gardens. The circular canvas was 120 m long and 20 m high, depicting 640 figures embodying the grandeur of France. After the exhibition, the panorama was cut up and distributed to the various shareholders who had financed the project.