Die Kupferstecher der Cossmannschule (The Copper Engravers of the Cossmann School)
Vienna: Österreichischen Staatsdruckerei, 1950. First Edition. Quarto; 135pp plus plates. A Very Good copy in light blue linen and grey paper-covered boards; upper board titled in grey, spine in gold in somewhat worn and tape-reinforced dust jacket. Bookplate of author, publisher and bookplate collector Clare Ryan Talbot to front pastedown with her pencil notes to ffep. Item #21771
Alfred Cossmann belonged to the "Viennese School of Copper Engraving" of the first half of the 20th century and was Austria's most highly regarded engraver of the day. In 1917 he was appointed professor and taught from 1920 at the Graphische Lehr-und Versuchsanstalt. Included are 24 plates illustrating 116 bookplates designed by Hans Ranzoni d. J., Herbert Toni Schimek, Friedrich Teubel, Hubert Woyty-Wimmer, Rupert Franke and Rudolf Zenziger. Austrian Exlibris Society #3.
Laid in is a October 7, 1933 2-pp manuscript letter from Teubel to Clare Ryan Talbot along with her 2-pp typed reply (on La Velencia Hotel note paper). Teubel had sent examples of his bookplate art for which Talbot extends profuse thanks. She heaps praise on one in particular, 'the Swoboda plate' (enclosed,signed in pencil) which she describes as 'an exquisite thing of dream-like beauty executed in faultless technique in your medium.' The copper-engraved plate (of the Wilhelm Swoboda castle with observatory on top of a huge bookpile-island on heavy wove paper) is one of the 22 examples of Teubel's work featured in the book. Talbot discusses at length, and emotionally, the book she is writing, 'Bookplates in California; '... I believe this is the first attempt of its kind in ex libris history, i.e., this welding, as one might say, of History and Art in the miniature art of the bookplate...' Finally, included is Chicago collector Dr. Robert Sonnenschein II's translation of Talbot's letter into German, which was sent to Teubel.
Price: $500.00