Beaumarchais: Complete Works with Bayard’s Illustrations

Description

Complete works of Beaumarchais, edited by Édouard Fournier, featuring 20 color plates by Émile Bayard. Paris, Garnier Frères, circa 1880. Large quarto volume, half-leather binding with gilt top edges (283 x 183 mm), 2 unnumbered leaves, 1 unnumbered frontispiece, LVII-780 pages, complete with 20 delicate color plates. Headbands rubbed. Bayard, a student of Léon Cogniet, exhibited portraits and horse studies from 1853 to 1861 before working in publishing and press. His illustrations aimed for total success, allowing readers to understand the book solely through the engravings. Includes plays such as *Le Barbier de Séville*, *Le Mariage de Figaro*, and *La Mère coupable*, along with memoirs, letters, and unpublished works.