Octave Béliard / J. Regismanset - Murs - 1945

Exceptionally rare French artist’s and time document from 1945

Murs
Texts and sonnets: Octave Béliard
Drawings: J. Regismanset
J. Grantil wallpaper factory
Edition of Montigny Planches
Completed on February 24, 1945

Exceptionally rare French portfolio with 12 color plates, created during the last months of World War II in the venerable French wallpaper manufactory J. Grantil.

The peculiarity of this work lies not only in its illustrations but above all in their production:

The color plates were, according to the original text of the work, “gravées et imprimées à la main” – hand-engraved and hand-printed.

Thus these are not ordinary offset or reproduction prints.

An extraordinary history of origin

The album’s story is closely tied to French industry and wartime history.

The traditional wallpaper manufactory J. Grantil produced decorative wall coverings and possessed the necessary experience with historical printing techniques.

During World War II, the factory’s normal production possibilities were significantly restricted. Under these exceptional conditions, the project drew on an old artisanal technique:

“Impression à la planche” – traditional printing from individual blocks or plates.

Various colors were applied successively. The procedure corresponds to the historical handcrafted method of multicolor wallpapers and explains the distinctive character of the plates.

Murs is therefore simultaneously:

* a bibliophilic French portfolio,
* a work of decorative graphics,
* a testimony to traditional French printing techniques,
* a document of wallpaper manufacture history,
* and a remarkable time document from the last months of World War II.

Created for French prisoners of war

The album was produced in connection with an initiative in favor of French prisoners of war.

This gives the work an additional historical dimension: in a time of material scarcity, limited production, and war, the manufactory used its available artisanal skills to create a deliberately elaborate work.

The album was completed on February 24, 1945 – only a few months before the end of World War II in Europe.

The 12 hand-printed color plates

Particularly impressive are the 12 color plates after drawings by J. Regismanset.

The works combine elements of:

Art Deco, French illustration art, fashion drawing, interior and wallpaper design, as well as decorative graphics.

Characteristically, they feature reduced lines, generous planes, and the use of a few clearly separated colors.

The individual colors were applied in the historical printing technique separately. This gives the plates an immediately artisanal quality that clearly distinguishes them from modern industrial color printing.

Also remarkable is the surprisingly modern formal language of various motifs with elegant interiors, figures, and social scenes.

Limited character

Already the contemporary text of the work explicitly refers to the importance of the limited production and contains the remarkable formulation:

“La limitation du tirage confère aux pièces une valeur…”

The album was thus not merely intended as an ordinary publication from its inception, but possessed a consciously limited and collector’s character.

A concrete edition size is not stated here, unless it can be reliably verified from the present exemplar.

Condition

The offered exemplar is complete with all 12 color plates.

The plates and inner pages are in remarkably good condition for their age. Notably, the colors of the hand-printed illustrations are strong and fresh.

The outer cover shows clear signs of age and wear or damage. These are documented in the photographs and are part of the offered exemplar.

No color plates have been removed.

Format: approx. 39 cm – a large-format work with an impressively striking effect of the plates.

Rarity

Murs belongs to the publications from the Manufacture J. Grantil / Édition des Planches de Montigny that are now extremely rare on the market.

Its special significance arises from the unusual combination of hand printing, French book and design history, wallpaper manufacture, wartime context, and charitable character.

An exceptional collectible for those interested in French book art, Art Deco and design, historical printing techniques, decorative art, wallpaper history, and 20th-century French cultural and industrial history.

This item is a historical work from 1945. All information on origin, production, and printing technique is based on the details in the work itself as well as on bibliographic information available at the time of description.

The designation of the color plates as “hand-engraved and hand-printed” follows the original French edition note “gravées et imprimées à la main.” No further claims about individual steps or printing methods are guaranteed.

The work is offered to the best of our knowledge as complete with 12 color plates. The photographs are an essential part of the description and show the actual condition. The outer cover shows age- and wear-related damage; the contents and especially the color plates are considerably better preserved. Color deviations between photographs and original may occur due to lighting, camera, or screen display.

All statements regarding rarity as well as art-, culture-, and zeitgeschichte significance are made to the best of our knowledge and do not constitute any warranty for a particular market or resale value.

The sale is conducted by a private person from my private collection. This is not a commercial sale. The sale is for the exemplar shown in the photographs only, in its current condition.