“L’Histoire des quatre Fils Aymon” – ornamental compositions by Eugène Grasset

Abstract

The works by Eugène Grasset (1841–1917), a French illustrator considered to be the co-founder of Art Nouveau, was well-known at the turn of the 19^th and the 20^th century throughout the whole Europe. One of his greatest accomplishments in typography and illustration was L’Histoire des quatre Fils Aymon, très nobles et très vaillants chevaliers (1883) – a book considered to be one of the most beautiful editions of the late 19^th century. The features characteristic of Grasset’s style, present in many of his works and based on creative approach to elements of nature being reduced to the simplest geometrical elements, were codified by the author in the template book entitled La Plante et ses applications ornementales (1896) and the manual Méthode de composition ornementale (1905). However, the article proves that they are already visible in much earlier works, among others in L’Histoire des quatre Fils Aymon, très nobles et très vaillants chevaliers, starting with the book’s cover.