Unpublished [n.d., but ca. 1890]. Folio (32.5 x 21.0 cm). Ca. 150 leaves with over 2,500 finely hand-coloured decorative transfers in Art Nouveau and romantic styles. Black blind half calf over black boards. Front board with original, neatly handwritten label.

A very rare and probably unique pattern book with exceedingly delicate and richly hand-coloured illustrations, using all colours and shades, including gold and white was to be used in the ceramic industry. The work was intended as an example for the colourists of fine porcelain, in particular dinnerware. The original monochrome printed transfers (often of flowers, but also of fruits, a bird, etc.) are here added to glossy paper, and then coloured with water colours as if on the ceramic object itself. The original colouring was probably done by the designer, as the accuracy and quality of the colouring is far above average indeed. Each transfer is numbered, and many have additional information. Each leaf has several (often five or more) illustrations on one side (recto). Some leaves have additional, smaller leaves with more illustrations attached; in a few cases, an illustration is added to the verso of the previous leaf. Sometimes part of a leaf has been replaced, with new illustrations added or pasted over others, apparently replacing obsolete illustrations, and a few are cut. Every page is an inspiring and surprising joy to the eye. Some faint thumbing to right bottom corner, but all pages free of spotting or foxing due to the good quality of the paper. An unusually nice item.