DORÉ Gustave (Strasbourg 1832 † 1883 Paris). Roland... Lot 68

DORÉ Gustave (Strasbourg 1832 † 1883 Paris). Roland Furieux (Song n°XXXVI, Stance n°11). 1879. Pen and black ink on pencil strokes, on wove paper, signed lower right. Preparatory drawing for the Roland Furieux: heroic poem of Arioste (translated by A.-J. du Pays, Paris, Hachette et Cie, 1879, p. 458.). Captioned by the artist with the pen, full-length: "I told you in the other song how Bradamante had shot Serpentin, Grandonio and Ferragus and that after giving them back their horses; / she had begged the latter to challenge Roger on his behalf - / Ch. XXXVI" (the text annotated by Doré takes up the older translation by Louis-Élisabeth de la Vergne, Count of Tressan). 23.5 x 30.5 cm. Condition B/C (drawing glued on cardboard; two old passe-partout marks; two old glue dots in the upper corners). "Roland Furieux, published in 1879, is the first book illustrated by Doré in which the engravings are reproduced using the process known as gillotage instead of being printed from the wooden boards. It is for this reason that most of the original drawings were not destroyed. "(Samuel F. Clapp, in J. Favière (ed.), Gustave Doré (1832-1883), exhibition catalogue, Strasbourg, Musée de Strasbourg, 1983, p. 175).