Léon Godard / Gustave Doré - L'Espagne - 1865

Spain, Manners and Landscapes, History and Monuments, by Abbé Léon Godard

Ornamented with four engravings by Gustave Doré

This book offers a detailed description of the country, mixing observations on manners, historical narratives and evocations of emblematic monuments. The author aligns with the tradition of nineteenth-century travel writing, offering a vision that is at once descriptive and cultural of Spain, addressing its regions, its cities and its social particularities. The work thus constitutes a testimony on the country’s perception at that time, between geographical curiosity and patrimonial interest.

The work is adorned with engravings by Gustave Doré, a renowned artist known for the expressive power of his style. His illustrations are distinguished by a dramatic sense of composition, a great richness of detail and a marked use of contrasts. Doré excels in the portrayal of monumental landscapes and animated scenes, giving a spectacular visual dimension to the topics treated. In this book, his engravings reinforce the atmosphere of the descriptions and contribute to the artistic and documentary valorization of the work.

1865, 18 x 27 cm, 348 pages. Half-calf garnet binding, boards in percaline, spine with five false bands with author and title gilded, all edges gilt. Binding with signs of rubbing and a few stains, losses on the upper cap, some losses of gilding on the edges. Foxing.