16 - ZOLA (Émile).

ZOLA (Émile). Ed. Manet. Paris: E. Dentu, 1867. — In-8, 237 x 151: portrait, 48 pp., 1 plate, printed cover. Bradel-style marbled paper binding, smooth spine, untrimmed, cover preserved (20th-century binding). First edition of the first monograph devoted to Édouard Manet. More than a simple biography, it is a genuine defense of the man and his work, particularly the painting *Olympia*. Exhibited for the first time at the 1865 Salon, this painting depicting a high-class prostitute—Olympia was the pseudonym for courtesans at the time—caused a veritable scandal. Zola was one of its most steadfast defenders: “In 1865, Édouard Manet was still accepted into the Salon; he exhibited a painting of Jesus being insulted by soldiers, and his masterpiece, his *Olympia*. I said ‘masterpiece,’ and I stand by that word. I maintain that this canvas is truly the painter’s flesh and blood. It contains him entirely and contains nothing but him. It will remain the defining work of his talent, the highest mark of his power” (p. 34). This brochure was sold at the retrospective exhibition that the artist organized in the pavilion he built at his own expense on the Alma, on the fringes of the 1867 World’s Fair and the Salon, from which he had been excluded. The edition is illustrated with a portrait of Manet engraved on copper by Bracquemond and an original etching by Manet based on his painting *Olympia*. This copy is enhanced with a woodcut by Moller based on Manet’s painting, printed as a proof on China paper. It appeared in Théodore Duret’s book, *L’Histoire d’Édouard Manet et de son œuvre* (Paris: Floury, 1902). Front cover lined. Foxing.