1158 - Lettre, E.

Lettre, E. Goldsmith in Berlin. Jewelry. The color plates are drawn from life-size originals. Berlin, printed by Otto von Holten for the Erich Reiss publishing house (1922). Small 8° (14 x 10 cm). 36 pp., [1] leaf with 9 hand-colored lithographic plates, including 1 plate with color charts. Original half-parchment binding with gold-stamped title on the cover and a gold-stamped vignette (fish) on the back cover. NDB XIV, 359 f. – No. 342 of 1,000 copies. - Rare private printing; the beautiful plates depict eight gemstones and pieces of jewelry in actual size, along with a color chart. - The Hanau goldsmith and silversmith E. Lettré (1876–1954) “was commissioned by A. Messel to collaborate on the Crown Prince’s silver service, worked for various clients, and also produced pieces based on designs by others (e.g., by Eduard Pfeiffer). He created sports trophies commissioned by the Emperor and cups for the board of directors of the Krupp company to mark its 100th anniversary. L. declined an invitation to move to the Darmstadt artists’ colony. Starting in 1933, he headed the Hanau Academy of Drawing for a year and a half, though he continued to reside in Berlin. L. received major government commissions even after 1933; in 1936–37, he furnished the embassy in London with equipment and silverware. Exhibitions of his works took place in Paris in 1926, in Hanau in 1934, in Düsseldorf in 1950, and in Cologne in 1976. - Stylistically, L. was still influenced by historicism and mass production during his apprenticeship. The experiences of his travels led to a more playful approach to historical models. L. also drew significant inspiration from jewelry and artifacts in major museums, from 16th-century ornamental engravings, and from English silver of the 17th and early 18th centuries. He had no affinity for the formal language of Art Nouveau; he preferred to use simple, geometric forms and smooth, unadorned surfaces. In their respect for the material and their clarity, L.’s works were groundbreaking. L.’s artistic ideal was timeless elegance. Many of his works are therefore difficult to date, and it is hard to believe that such diverse pieces come from a single artist” (C.-W. Schümann in NDB). — Cover slightly rubbed, with a contemporary ownership inscription; otherwise in very good condition.