My Previous Post For The Bayntun Bound Edition Of LOHENGRIN Has Been Hidden Because Someone Felt It Contained

My previous post for the Bayntun bound edition of LOHENGRIN has been hidden because someone felt it contained “Mature” content. How anyone can find the final illustration (of a woman breastfeeding a baby) tantalizing is beyond me. [oooo…scary.] Here’s a re-up of the post without the ‘offensive’ plate. The original is still up. If you’re the person who reported my post — please stop following me. — Lydia

LOHENGRIN, KNIGHT OF THE SWAN by Richard Wagner (London: G.G. Harrap, 1913.) Illustrated by Willy Pogany

Bound ca. 1930 by Bayntun of Bath (stamp-signed in gilt on front turn-in). Full black morocco, covers with single gilt rule, front cover with multi color morocco inlays reproducing the illustration on page [53]. Spine with five raised bands, decoratively tooled and lettered in gilt in compartments. Decorative gilt board edges, gilt ruled turn-ins, blue cockerel endpapers, all edges gilt. Housed in the original blue cloth over boards clamshell case

[This edition give me the opportunity to share more of Pogany’s fabulous illustrations]

‘William Andrew ("Willy") Pogany (born Vilmos Andreas Pogány) (August 1882 – 30 July 1955) was a prolific Hungarian illustrator of children's and other books. Pogany's best known works consist of illustrations of classic myths and legends done in the Art Nouveau style. He also worked as an art director on several Hollywood films, including Fashions of 1934 and Dames.

The publication of Pogány's Lohengrin was the final act in his trilogy of masterworks focused on Wagner's Germanic tales, and one of the quintet that is considered his finest work. Pogány clearly approached the commission to illustrate Lohengrin as an opportunity to improve and extend techniques that he had developed through his preceding work, particularly The Rubáiyat of Omar Khayyám, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Tannhäuser , Parsifal, the other four books that immortalized his career as an illustrator. That commitment to ongoing innovation resulted in an incredible suite of illustrations, including color lithographs, monotone and marginal illustrations and the delightful tipped-in color plates (produced with a four-color process) included in Lohengrin. Themes of medieval chivalry, erotic love and moral tests are illustrated in a lavish fashion by Pogány with an outstanding use of iconography, form and color.'.

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