Lucian of Samosata. De Hetaerensgespraeche des Lukian.

one of 50 copies

A fine example of a scarce and early work illustrated by Gustav Klimt. Published in 1907, this erotic compilation represents a perfect pairing of Klimt's drawings with Josef Hoffmann's Wiener Werkstätte design to create one of European Jugendstil's most beautiful books.

The text for the work is Lucian's Dialogues of the Courtesan (De Hetaerensgespraeche des Lukian), translated here by the Viennese writer, Franz Blei. The fifteen conversations from the Hellenic satirist cover themes of seduction, infidelity and jealousy and previous German translations omitted the fifth conversation as it is homoerotic. In this translation, Blei changed the order of the dialogues and gave them more provocative titles, such as 'The Horrors of Marriage', 'The Voluptuousness of Spanking', as well as including the lesbian conversation (number VI).

Klimt's drawings are considered to be the 'epitome of erotic refinements' (Bisanz-Prakken). The fifteen compositions were created by Klimt in the period from 1904 to 1906. Two-thirds of the drawings can be dated to 1904. This is important in that Klimt switched from wrapping paper sheets to lighter Japanese paper this year, as he replaced the soft chalk with the hard pencil. Gustav Klimt created some of the works in the context of the first version of Water Snakes II (1904–1907): While Klimt contented himself in the painting with the hint of eroticism, he went far beyond the taboo limit of his time in the preparatory studies and drawings.

Julius Zeitler in Leipzig was responsible for the publishing of the book and Obernetter in Munich, a pioneer and specilist in collotype printing was entrusted with the plates. The same high standards were applied to the bindings of the 450 numbered copies. Josef Hoffmann designed the sample bindings for the two de-luxe editions, which were produced by the Wiener Werkstatte. Edition A, the smallest edition (of which this book is part of) consisted of only 50 copies which were produced on Japon paper and were bound in marbled black and white cloth with corresponding endpapers. Edition B comprised of 100 copies bound in grey chamois leather. Both editions A and B have a gold embossed plate on the upper cover and Hoffman's monogram and the company's logo on the reverse.

Copies of the book went to some of the most important collectors, patrons and cultural figures of the time. Hermann Bahr received a copy and subsequently wrote in a letter to Frane Blei:

'I drink to Klimt, the bright pagan. Those know-it-alls out there believe he merely plays with lines. Poor fools, they don't recognise the indescribable power of this lewdness swearing to be sacred. He is the only one for whom burgeoning nature is not obscured by bourgeois shame; the only one looking at thing's from a pagan's perspective. The only one for whom the woman is woman all over.'

Limited edition, number 40 of 50 copies on Japon, from a total edition of 450, large 4to; text printed in black and gold, translated into German by Franz Blei, illustrated with 15 photogravures after Klimt, plates protected by tissue guards, very minor staining to a couple of leaves; text printed in black and gold, 15 full-page collotype plates after drawings by Klimt, marbled endpapers, minor wear to margin of one plate; original grey marbled cloth, embossed gilt label to upper cover, gilt stamp to lower cover, covers and spine slightly faded, corners bumped, a very good copy.