FAJANS Maksymilian, Polish Images.

Polish Images.

Drawn from nature and lithographed (...). Warsaw 1851, 1857; Nakł. Author. In the Government Printing House. Composition chiefly at the Artistic-Lithographic Establishment and at H. Natanson's Bookstore. (36 x 28.5 cm), pp. [25] (text), 12 lithographed title pages and 38 lithographed portraits, binding introlig. period.
Binding: cloth with embossing, spine contemporary with leather, gilt lettering and decoration on front and spine. Contains 12 (of 13) unnumbered title pages of notebooks that published one of the monumental examples of Polish portrait graphics and illustration of the 19th century, and 38 portraits depicting such famous Poles as A. Mickiewicz, J. Łuszczewska (Deotyma), A. E. Odyniec, A. Groza, A. Kątski, J. Komorowski, J. I. Kraszewski, I. F. Dobrzyński, A. Fredro, E. Rastawiecki, M. Oczapowski, W. Pol, K. Lipinski, A. Nakwaska, J. B. Zaleski, A. Przeździecki, J. Suchodolski, K. W. Wojcicki, J. K. Kaniewski, W. A. Maciejowski, J. Korzeniowski, J. Elsner, E. Raczyński, J. Kremer, A. Grabowski, J. W. Bandtkie, F. Wężyk, L. Kondratowicz (W. Syrokomla), A. Lesser, W. Jastrzębowski, T. Narbutt, J. Muczkowski, A. Waga, A. Cieszkowski, J. Goluchowski, A. Zamoyski, R.Hadziewicz, J. S. Bandtkie. The lithographs are protected by a bureau. Between the individual illustrations there are 38 (of 45) descriptions of the silhouettes of the portrayed. Unwarranted rubbing and dampstaining of the binding, rust spots and unwarranted dampstaining on the pages in places, otherwise good condition. Very rare.
"Full of life, individuality and well-graphically designed portraits [?] have the value of an authentic and artistic likeness" (Andrzej Banach).