|
Home
Up
Feedback
Contents
Search
eBay
| |
Gustave Doré Collection
The genius of Gustave Doré is one of the marvels of
19th Century art.
The range of Pagan and Christian imagery exhibited
through his work belies a colossal imagination and a magnificent
apprehension of
all possible conditions of human experience. His lofty insight into the
mysteries of Spiritual existence as
reflected from Earthly actualities entitle
him to be classed among the great creative geniuses of all time.
When the viewer considers any of his illustrations -
including those accompanying Michaud's History of the Crusades, Dante's
Inferno and Purgatory and Paradise,
and
Milton's Paradise Lost - the exquisite use of light and shade, rhythmic
movement
and dramatic composition is unmistakeable. In one word, his work is
sublime.
It has been claimed that no artist has ever been more
familiar with the subtleties of colour that form the gamut of tones
and
semitones between black and white, nor handled them with greater skill and
delicacy. In some ways, it is as though
human nature has been thoroughly imbued
with the allegorical - as well as the artistic - significance of nature's great
resolvent: tone.
Doré's art appeals to the heart, the intellect, the
love of humanity and the inspiration of the human Soul towards grand
ideas. It
is art that outlasts change, fashion, death and decay.
In his lighter works, as in those that are more
serious, Doré shows in even the smallest details of creation the universality
of
genius. His art illustrates famous allegory on a colossal scale - to delight
young and old.
One can form the impression that something supernatural
and unearthly, something that belongs to the realm of the unseen
has been
revealed through the genius of Doré. To the lovers of his drawing, Doré presents
a splendid phantasmagoria of
shapes that never were on sea or land and yet are
intensely real, warm and vital. In doing so, he is sympathetic to Nature
in all
her phases, adding an intuitive and instinctive grasp of the Soul of cosmic
forces.
We have developed a range of
Giftware that includes images
reproduced from the 1st Edition plates in our collection to
ensure the most accurate form, line and colour possible. We have utilised a high definition capture and reproduction
technique for the
images - in contrast to the low definition representation necessary for this
website. The illustrations are
available as cards, infants' clothing, T-shirts
and unmatted, matted or framed prints (8x6", 10x8", 12x10", 15x10" and
30 x 20" images sizes).
Pricing starts at US$4 for single Gift Cards (US$18 for select packs of 6) and 10 x 8" prints
(double-matted and framed) begin at US$60. Further
details on those reproduction images are available at the
Giftware section of this
site.
Should you wish to discuss an order, please contact us at
ThePeople@SpiritoftheAges.com referencing your request
with the Stock
Code of the plate, or plates in question and a brief description (and rest assured, we do accept payment
through PayPal or Direct Bank
Deposit).
In the meantime, enjoy browsing our selection of
genuine vintage and antique plates.
Michaud's
History of the Crusades (1880s)
 |
A rare copy of Michaud's
History of the Crusades - illustrated by Doré and published by
George Barrie, Publisher (Philadelphia) in two volumes in the 1880s.
This copy shows the original
decoratively stamped and gilt leather
cover.
|
History of the Crusades is the work of the
French poet, satirist, historian, publisher, journalist and
conversationalist,
Joseph François Michaud (1767-1839). Michaud was born to
a distinguished family and remained aligned with the
Bourbon cause at a time
in French history when the Revolution and Napoleon's subsequent 'adventures'
created some
difficulties for those who continued to remain loyal to that
tradition. Despite those difficulties, however, his productivity
was
significant and - among other appointments - he was a Member of the Academy
of France.
Michaud's History of the Crusades includes books
titled: "Birth of the Crusades"; "Departure and March of the Crusaders";
"The
March to, and Siege of Antioch"; "The Siege of Jerusalem"; "History of the
Kingdom of Jerusalem"; "The Second Crusade";
"The Third Crusade"; "Saladin";
"The Fourth Crusade"; "The Fifth Crusade"; "From the Restoration of Isaac to the
Death of
Baldwin"; "The Sixth Crusade"; "The Seventh Crusade"; "Damietta and
Louis IX"; "Eighth Crusade"; "Attempted Crusades -
Crusades against the Turks";
"Crusades against the Turks" ; and "Upon the State of Europe". Chronologically,
Michaud deals
with relevant developments between 300AD and 1685.
The illustration by Doré are engraved by artisans
including Bellenger, Doms, Gusman, Jonnard, Pannemaker,
Pisan and Quesnel.
100 images
|
Book I
Birth of the Crusades
AD 300-1095 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Hospitality of Barbarians to Pilgrims
When the world was ravaged by
the Goths, the Huns and the
Vandals, the pilgrimages to the
Holy Land were not at all
interrupted. Pious travellers
were protected by the hospitable
virtues of the barbarians, who
began to respect the cross of
Christ, and sometimes even
followed the pilgrims to Jerusalem.
In these times of trouble and
desolation a poor pilgrim, who
bore his scrip and staff, often
passed through fields of carnage,
and travelled without fear
amidst armies which threatened the
empires of the East and West
Book I
Provenance: An American Collector
Image Size: 18.7 x 24cm
Vintage Image Price:
US$100
Code: GD HC 1
10 x 8" Reproduction:
US$25
|
Foulque-Nerra assailed by the Phantoms of his Victims
Foulque-Nerra, Count
of Anjou, charged with crimes, and
stained with blood,
thought to efface all his cruelties by a
voyage to Jerusalem.
His brother, whom he had caused to
perish in a dungeon,
presented himself, wherever he went,
before his eyes; it
appeared to him that the numerous
victims sacrificed
to his ambition in unjust war issued from
their tombs to
disturb his sleep, and reproach him for his
barbarity
Book I
Provenance: An American Collector
Image Size: 19.8 x 24.7cm
Vintage Image Price:
US$100
Code: GD HC 2
10 x 8" Reproduction:
US$25
|
Peter the Hermit preaching the Crusade
The singularity of
his appearance was a spectacle for the
people, whilst the
austerity of his manner, his charity, and
the moral doctrines
that he preached, caused him to be
revered as a saint
... They who touched his vestments
themselves happy,
and a portion of hair pulled from the
mule he rode was
preserved as a holy relic. At the sound
of his voice
differences in families were reconciled, the poor
were comforted, the
debauched blushed at their errors
Book I
Provenance: An American Collector
Image Size: 19.8 x 24.7cm
Vintage Image Price:
US$200
Code: GD HC 3
10 x 8" Reproduction:
US$25
|
 |
|
The War Cry of the Crusaders
As soon as the spring appeared
nothing could restrain the
impatience of the Crusaders, and
they set forward ... The crowd
presented a whimsical and
confused mixture of all ranks and all
conditions; women appeared in
arms in the midst of warriors,
prostitution not being forgotten
in the austerities of penitence;
old age was to be seen with
infancy, opulence next to misery;
the helmet was confounded with
the frock, the mitre with the
sword ... On all parts resounded
the war cry of the Crusaders -
"It is the will of God! It is
the will of God!"
Book I
Provenance: An American Collector
Image Size: 18.8 x 24.6cm
Vintage Image Price:
US$100
Code: GD HC 4
10 x 8" Reproduction:
US$25
|
|
Book II
Departure and March of the
Crusaders
AD 1096-1097 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Walter the Penniless in Hungary
When the vanguard
entered Hungary, they were only disturbed
in their march but by a few
insults, which Walter had the
prudence not to avenge; but the
resignation of the pilgrims
could not hold out long against
the misery which every day
increased. Want and its
attendant evils soon dispersed all the
sentiments of moderation to
which religion had for a moment
given birth in the hearts of its
defenders. The governor of
Bulgaria not having been able to
furnish provisions, they spread
themselves about over the
country, carried off the flocks, burnt
the houses, and massacred
several of the inhabitants who
opposed their violence. The
irritated Bulgarians ran to arms,
and fell upon the soldiers of
Walter, loaded with their booty
Book II
Provenance: An American Collector
Image Size: 19.8 x 24.7cm
Vintage Image Price:
US$100
Code: GD HC 5
10 x 8" Reproduction:
US$25
|
The Army of Priest Volkmar and
Count Emicio attack Mersbourg
Mersbourg shut its
gates upon them, and refused them
provisions. They were indignant
that so little respect should
be shown to the soldiers of
Christ, and deemed it their duty to
treat the Hungarians as they had
treated the Jews. Mersbourg,
situated on the Leytha, a river
which flows into the Danube,
was defended by marshes. The
Crusaders crossed the river, cut
down a forest, and formed a
causeway, which conducted them
close under the walls of the
place. After some preparation the
signal was given, the ladders
were raised against the ramparts,
and the general assault was
begun. The besieged opposed a
spirited resistance, and
showered upon their enemies a tempest
of darts and arrows, with
torrents of boiling oil. The besiegers,
encouraging each other,
redoubled their efforts. Victory appeared
to be about to declare for them,
when suddenly several ladders
yielded to the weight of the
assailants, and dragged down with
them in their fall the parapets
and the fragments of the towers
that the ram had shaken. The
cries of the wounded and the
rattling of the falling ruin
spread a panic among the Crusaders
Book II
Provenance: An American Collector
Image Size: 18.8 x 23.8cm
Vintage Image Price:
US$200
Code: GD HC 6
10 x 8" Reproduction:
US$25
|
The Second Crusaders encounter the
remains of the First Crusaders
Peter the Hermit and Walter the
Penniless crossed the
Bosphorus with an army which
might amount to about a
hundred thousand combatants ...
After a march of some hours,
in a country which was unknown
to them, the Christians were
unexpectedly attacked by the
Turks, whom they believed to be
in flight. They formed in haste,
and at first defended themselves
valiantly. But the enemy had the
advantage of position and
numbers, and they were soon
surrounded on all sides and
completely routed. The carnage
was horrible; Walter, who was
worthy of commanding better
soldiers, fell pierced with arrows.
With the exception of three
thousand men, who took refuge
in a castle close to the sea,
the whole army perished in a single
battle, and there soon remained
no more of them than a
confused heap of bones, piled up
in the plains of Nicea, as a
deplorable monument to point out
to other Crusaders the road
to the Holy Land
Book II
Provenance: An American Collector
Image Size: 19.9 x 24.4cm
Vintage Image Price:
US$200
Code: GD HC 7
10 x 8" Reproduction:
US$25
|
 |
 |
 |
|
Celestial Phenomena
In a superstitious
age the sight of a prodigy or of an
extraordinary phenomenon had
more influence over the minds
of men that the oracles of
wisdom or reason. Historians inform
us that whilst the barons were
assembled, the moon, which was
in eclipse, appeared of the
colour of blood. When the eclipse
was over, its disc was
surrounded by an unprecedented
splendour. Some weeks after,
says the Abbé Guibert, the
northern horizon was seen to be
all on fire, and the terrified
people rushed from the houses
and cities, believing that the
enemy was advancing, fir and
sword in hand. At another
time the stars assembled in the
form of a cross and a wreath
of thorns, and appeared to rise
in the sky in conjunction with
the moon. These phenomenon, with
several others, were
regarded as signs of the will of
God, and the presages of the
terrible war about to be made in
his name. They everywhere
redoubled the enthusiasm of the
Crusade. Men who had
hitherto remained indifferent
new partook of the general
delirium. All Frenchmen called
to the profession of arms, and
who had not yet taken the oath
to fight against the infidels,
hastened now to take the cross
Book II
Provenance: An American Collector
Image Size: 18.7 x 23.9cm
Vintage Image Price:
US$200
Code: GD HC 8
10 x 8" Reproduction:
US$25
|
Astonishment of the Crusaders at the
wealth of the East
At the sight of an
apartment filled with riches, Bohémond,
prince of Tarentum, said: "There
is enough to conquer
kingdoms with." The Emperor
Alexius; who wished to bribe
him, immediately ordered them to
be conveyed to the tent
of the ambitious Bohémond, who
at first refused them with a
kind of modesty, and finished by
accepting them with joy ...
An abode at Byzantium might
become otherwise dangerous
for the Crusaders; the spectacle
of the luxury of the East, which
they beheld for the first time,
was calculated to corrupt them.
The Christian knights were never
weary of admiring the palaces,
the splendid edifices, the
riches, and perhaps the beautiful
women of whom Alexius had spoken
in his letters addressed
to the princes of the West
Book II
Provenance: An American Collector
Image Size: 19.6 x 24.4cm
Vintage Image Price:
US$200
Code: GD HC 9
10 x 8" Reproduction:
US$25
|
Godfrey meets the remains of the Army
of Peter the Hermit
As the Crusaders
advanced across the plains of Bithynia, they saw,
seeking refuge in their tents,
several soldiers of Peter's army,
who, having escaped the swords
of the Saracens, had lived
concealed in the mountains and
forests. They were clothed
in the rags of misery, and with
lamentations and tears related the
disasters of the first army of
the Christians. On the east they
pointed to the fortress in which
the companions of Rinaldo,
pressed by hunger and thirst,
had surrendered to the Turks, who
had massacred them all. Near to
that they showed them the
mountains, at the foot of which
had perished Walter and his
army. There the Christians had
been surprised by the Mussulmans
at the moment their priests were
celebrating the sacrifice of
the mass
Book II
Provenance: An American Collector
Image Size: 18.8 x 23.8cm
Vintage Image Price:
US$200
Code: GD HC 10
10 x 8" Reproduction:
US$25
|
 |
 |
 |
|
Priests exhorting the Crusaders
In the immense crowd
of Crusaders, no count, no prince, deigned
to receive orders from any one.
The Christians presented the
image of a republic under arms.
This republic, in which
everything appeared to be in
common, recognised no other law
but that of honour, no other tie
but that of religion. So great
was their zeal that chiefs
performed the duties of common men,
and the latter required no
signal to rush to victory of encounter
death. The priests passed
continually amongst the ranks, to recall
to the Crusaders the maxims of
Scriptural morality. Their
discourses were not thrown away;
for if, we may credit
contemporary authors, who seldom
spare the champions
of the cross, the conduct of the
Christians during the siege of
Nice offered nothing but
examples of warlike virtue and
subjects of edification
Book II
Provenance: An American Collector
Image Size: 19.8 x 24.6cm
Vintage Image Price:
US$200
Code: GD HC 11
10 x 8" Reproduction:
US$25
|
Crusaders throwing heads into Nice
This second battle,
in which the Turks showed the courage of
despair, seconded by all the
stratagems of war, lasted from
morning to night. The victory
... cost the Christians two thousand
lives. The Crusaders made a
great many prisoners; four thousand
Mussulmans fell on the field of
battle; the heads of a thousand
were sent to Alexius, and the
rest, by the aid of machines, were
cast into the city, to inform
the garrison of this fresh defeat for
the Turks
Book II
Provenance: An American Collector
Image Size: 19.9 x 24.8cm
Vintage Image Price:
US$100
Code: GD HC 12
10 x 8" Reproduction:
US$25
|
The Battle of Nicea
"Then the two
armies," says Matthew of Edessa, who speaks of this
battle, "joined, mingled, and
attacked each other with equal fury.
Everywhere glittered casques and
shields; lances rung against
cuirasses; the air resounded
with piercing cries; the terrified
horses recoiled at the din of
arms and the hissing of arrows; the
earth trembled beneath the tread
of the combatants, and the
plain was for a vast space
bristling with javelins." Godfrey,
Tancred, and the two Roberts
appeared to be everywhere at
once, and carried death and
terror into the ranks of the infidels.
The Turks could not long
withstand the impetuous valour of the
Crusaders; they were put to the
rout and pursued by the
conquerors even to the
mountains, which served them as a
place of refuge
Book II
Provenance: An American Collector
Image Size: 19.7 x 24.6cm
Vintage Image Price:
US$200
Code: GD HC 13
10 x 8" Reproduction:
US$25
|
 |
 |
|
The Battle of Dorylæum
Bohémond ordered a
body of his choicest soldiers to draw their
swords and follow him. He
crossed the river, and overcame every
obstacle that was placed in his
way. In an instant the camp of the
Christians was invaded and
filled by the Turks. The Saracens
massacred all who came within
reach of their swords; sparing none
but young and beautiful women,
whom they destined for their
seraglios. If we are to believe
Albert of Aix, the daughters and the
wives of the barons and knights
preferred on this occasion slavery
to death; for they were seen, in
the midst of the tumult, decking
themselves in their most
beautiful vestments, and presenting
themselves thus before the
Saracens, seeking by the display of their
charms to soften the hearts of a
pitiless enemy. In the mean while
Bohémond, rendered aware of the
attack upon the camp, came
promptly to its succour, and
forced the sultan to rejoin the body of
his army. Then the conflict
recommenced on the banks of the river
with increased fury. The duke of
Normandy, who had remained
along with some of the knights
on the field of battle, snatched his
white pennon embroidered with
gold from the hand of him who
bore it, and rushed into the
thickest of the fight, crying aloud, "It
is the will of God! It is the
will of God!" He cut down with his sword
all who were in his path; among
the victims to his valour being one
of the principal Turkish emirs.
Book II
Provenance: An American Collector
Image Size: 19.8 x 24.6cm
Vintage Image Price:
US$200
Code: GD HC 14
10 x 8" Reproduction:
US$25
|
Burying the dead after the Battle of Dorylæum
The day after the
victory the Crusaders repaired to the field of
battle for the purpose of
burying the dead. They had lost four
thousand of their companions,
and they paid them their duties in
tears; the clergy offered up
their prayers for them, and the army
honoured them as martyrs. They
soon, however, passed from
funeral ceremonies to transports
of the wildest joy. On stripping
the Saracens, they quarrelled
for their blood-stained habits. In the
excess of their delight, some of
the soldiers would put on the
armour of their enemies, and
clothing themselves in the flowing
robes of the Mussulmans, would
seat themselves in the tents of
the conquered, and, with
imitative gestures, ridicule the luxury
and customs of Asia. Such as
were without arms took possession
of the swords and crooked sabres
of the Saracens, and the archers
filled their quivers with the
arrows which had been shot at them
during the fight
Book II
Provenance: An American Collector
Image Size: 19. x 24.4cm
Vintage Image Price:
US$200
Code: GD HC 15
10 x 8" Reproduction:
US$25
|
Dante's
Inferno (1887)
 |
A rare copy of Dante's Inferno -
illustrated by Doré, translated by The Rev. Henry Francis Cary
(M. A.) and published
by Pollard and Moss (New York) in 1887.
This copy shows the original cloth
cover decorated in gilt and black. The page edges retain the
original gold tipped finish.
|
Inferno is the first of three canticas
comprising Dante Alighieri's Commedia (later referred to as
Commedia Divina - the Divine
Comedy in English), the other canticas being
Purgatorio and Paradiso. Commedia is considered the central epic
poem of
Italian literature and was composed by Dante sometime between 1308 and
1321.
The themes explored within Commedia draw
upon a number of influences including the imagery consistent with the
then-contemporary Medieval view of a Christian afterlife - as
fostered by the Holy Roman Church (later to become the
Catholic Church) - in
addition to contemporary political events, including Dante's
exile from Florence.
Inferno serves as an introduction to
Commedia - with Dante being met by his guide, Virgil, after the
intercession of his
beloved Beatrice as he was contemplating suicide - in addition to
chronicling the passage of Dante and Virgil through
the Nine Circles of
Hell.
76 images
 |
 |
 |
|
Portrait of Dante Alighieri
Provenance - American Collector
Code: GD DI 1 |
In the midway of
this our mortal life,
I found me in a
gloomy wood, astray.
Canto I., lines 1, 2.
Provenance - American Collector
Code: GD DI 2 |
Scarce the ascent
Began, when, lo! a
panther nimble, light,
And cover'd with a
speckled skin, appear'd:
Nor, when it saw me,
vanished
Canto I., lines 29-32.
Provenance - American Collector
Code: GD DI 3 |
 |
 |
 |
|
A lion came, 'gainst me as it
appear'd,
With his head held aloft, and
hunger mad.
Canto I., lines 43, 44.
Provenance - American Collector
He, soon as he saw
| |
.jpg)