5333 - Manet, Édouard

Manet, Édouard Portrait of the writer Charles Baudelaire. Etching on handmade Chinese paper. 9.7 x 8.2 cm. 1865. Harris 61 V. Charles Baudelaire is one of the most important French writers of the 19th century and is regarded as a pioneer of modern literature. With his sensational collection of poems, *Les Fleurs du Mal*, Baudelaire created a progressive, modern work that, for the first time, made everyday motifs—such as the modern metropolis—the subject of poetry. With his essay *Le peintre de la vie moderne*, published in 1863, Baudelaire established a multifaceted aesthetic of transience and articulated his understanding of the modern artist. Baudelaire had maintained a close friendship with the painter and engraver Édouard Manet since 1856. This is one of 50 early prints on China paper, predating the edition for Charles Asselineau’s book *Charles Baudelaire, sa vie et son œuvre*. An excellent, bold print with a wide margin around the plate edge. A faint spot beneath the image; a thin, spotty area at the top center; otherwise, a copy in excellent condition. - Please request condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog. - Please ask for condition reports for individual lots, as the condition is usually not mentioned in the catalog.