Fairy Tales -
Hans C. Andersen, Kay Nielsen (Illustrator)
1924 - Hodder and Stoughton Limited, London - First Edition, One of 500 &lsquo
A fine ‘Edition de Luxe’ of this magnificent presentation of Hans Andersen’s Fairy Tales, number 21 of 500 examples, signed and exquisitely illustrated by Kay Nielsen.
Presented in the publisher’s deluxe gilt illustrated vellum binding, with twelve full page mounted colour plates with integrated formal and informal borders, and captioned tissue guards, seventeen full page black and white drawings, decorated initials and endpieces.
Sixteen fairy tales, including 'The Snow Queen', 'The Princess and the Pea' and 'The Hardy Tin Soldier'. Kay Nielsen [1886–1957] was a Danish illustrator who was popular in the early 20th century, the "golden age of illustration". Nielsen studied art in Paris from 1904 to 1911, and then lived in England from about 1911 to 1916. In 1913 he received his first English commission from Hodder and Stoughton to illustrate a collection of fairytales - ‘In Powder and Crinoline, Fairy Tales Retold by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch’.
In the same year, Nielsen was also commissioned by The Illustrated London News to produce a set of four illustrations to accompany the tales of Charles Perrault - with the images for 'Le Belle au Bois Dormant' ('Sleeping Beauty'), 'Le Chat Botté' ('Puss in Boots'), 'Cendrillon' ('Cinderella') and 'La Barbe Bleue' ('Bluebeard') being published in the 1913 Christmas Edition.
A year later, he also provided illustrations for the children's collection ‘East of The Sun West of The Moon’. The colour images for both ‘In Powder and Crinoline’ and ‘East of the Sun and West of the Moon’ were reproduced by a 4-colour process - in contrast to many of the illustrations prepared by his contemporaries that characteristically utilised a traditional 3-colour process.
In 1917 Nielsen returned to Denmark and in 1924 produced illustrations for ‘Fairy Tales by Hans Andersen’, and a year later, his superb contribution to ‘Hansel and Gretel, and Other Stories by the Brothers Grimm’. In 1930 ‘Red Magic’ was published, being the final title to be illustrated comprehensively by Nielsen.
In 1939 he left for California and worked for Hollywood companies, including The Walt Disney Company, where his work was used in the ‘Ave Maria’ and ‘Night on Bald Mountain’ sequences of ‘Fantasia’. In 1940 he was laid off. He did some work on ‘The Little Mermaid’ story, but it was almost 50 years before this reached the cinema. His final years were spent in poverty.
Large quarto (book size 32x26.4cm), pp. 197 [3]. In publisher’s deluxe vellum bindingspine and upper cover intricately decorated lttered and illustrated in gilt, top edge gilt, others untrimmed. Condition: Fine but for slight bowing of boards. Ref: 112279 Price: HK$ 30,000
Presented in the publisher’s deluxe gilt illustrated vellum binding, with twelve full page mounted colour plates with integrated formal and informal borders, and captioned tissue guards, seventeen full page black and white drawings, decorated initials and endpieces.
Sixteen fairy tales, including 'The Snow Queen', 'The Princess and the Pea' and 'The Hardy Tin Soldier'. Kay Nielsen [1886–1957] was a Danish illustrator who was popular in the early 20th century, the "golden age of illustration". Nielsen studied art in Paris from 1904 to 1911, and then lived in England from about 1911 to 1916. In 1913 he received his first English commission from Hodder and Stoughton to illustrate a collection of fairytales - ‘In Powder and Crinoline, Fairy Tales Retold by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch’.
In the same year, Nielsen was also commissioned by The Illustrated London News to produce a set of four illustrations to accompany the tales of Charles Perrault - with the images for 'Le Belle au Bois Dormant' ('Sleeping Beauty'), 'Le Chat Botté' ('Puss in Boots'), 'Cendrillon' ('Cinderella') and 'La Barbe Bleue' ('Bluebeard') being published in the 1913 Christmas Edition.
A year later, he also provided illustrations for the children's collection ‘East of The Sun West of The Moon’. The colour images for both ‘In Powder and Crinoline’ and ‘East of the Sun and West of the Moon’ were reproduced by a 4-colour process - in contrast to many of the illustrations prepared by his contemporaries that characteristically utilised a traditional 3-colour process.
In 1917 Nielsen returned to Denmark and in 1924 produced illustrations for ‘Fairy Tales by Hans Andersen’, and a year later, his superb contribution to ‘Hansel and Gretel, and Other Stories by the Brothers Grimm’. In 1930 ‘Red Magic’ was published, being the final title to be illustrated comprehensively by Nielsen.
In 1939 he left for California and worked for Hollywood companies, including The Walt Disney Company, where his work was used in the ‘Ave Maria’ and ‘Night on Bald Mountain’ sequences of ‘Fantasia’. In 1940 he was laid off. He did some work on ‘The Little Mermaid’ story, but it was almost 50 years before this reached the cinema. His final years were spent in poverty.
Large quarto (book size 32x26.4cm), pp. 197 [3]. In publisher’s deluxe vellum bindingspine and upper cover intricately decorated lttered and illustrated in gilt, top edge gilt, others untrimmed. Condition: Fine but for slight bowing of boards. Ref: 112279 Price: HK$ 30,000