LEWICKI, J. N. – Pasek’s Diaries. Paris 1850–1853. A set of 18 engravings + a portrait

LEWICKI J[an] N[epomucen] - The Memoirs of Jan Chryzostom Pasek from the Reigns of John II Casimir, Michael Korybut, and John III. Illustrated and engraved by J. Lewicki. Paris 1850–1853. Drouart, printer. Folio, 19 plates. Unbound, loose sheets.
Banach 423. Distinct localized browning on the first plate, less so on parts of the subsequent plates; signs of moisture damage along the upper edges of the plates; a small loss in the corner of the second plate; creases along the upper edges of two plates. A complete album consisting of 18 etchings composed and engraved (including the text) by Lewicki, illustrating the most significant passages from Pasek’s memoirs. Particularly striking are the numerous battle scenes and depictions of noble life. The work remained unfinished due to the artist’s departure from Paris for Portugal. The work “to this day ensures him [Lewicki] a prominent place in the history of Polish illustrative printmaking […]. The jovial tales of a cynical nobleman became, for Lewicki, a breath of Polishness. With complete dedication, he strove to translate the seventeenth-century text into visual art. And today, when seeking the realities of the “Paski” era, we can turn to these [...] pages by Lewicki” (Banach, pp. 156–157). Included is an etched portrait of Jan Lewicki, engraved by M. Jaroszyński and published by J. K. Żupański in Poznań.Rare!