"ONE OF THE FINEST CHURCHES RAISED TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND THE VIRGIN": FIRST EDITION OF THIS PORTFOLIO BY THE GUARDIAN OF THE CHARTRES CATHEDRAL WITH 64 BLACK-AND-WHITE PHOTOGRAPHIC PLATES OF THE CATHEDRAL, FOUR ILLUSTRATED PLATES OF ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS, AND 17 COLOR PLATES OF THE CATHEDRAL'S STAINED GLASS

HOUVET, Etienne. An Illustrated Monograph of Chartres Cathedral (Being an Extract of a Work Crowned by the Academie des Beaux-Arts). No place: No publisher, circa 1939. Quarto portfolio, original half cloth, original pictorial paper boards, grosgrain ties, text and plates loose. $250.

First edition, extracted from a longer work, of this richly illustrated work about Chartres Cathedral by the "Gardien de la Cathédrale de Chartres," with five loose signatures of text and captions, 64 black-and-white photographic plates of the cathedral, four plates of architectural details, and 17 color plates of the cathedral's stained glass.

"Partly built starting in 1145, and then reconstructed over a 26-year period after the fire of 1194, Chartres Cathedral marks the high point of French Gothic art. The vast nave, in pure ogival style, the porches adorned with fine sculptures from the middle of the 12th century, and the magnificent 12th- and 13th-century stained-glass windows, all in remarkable condition, combine to make it a masterpiece" (UNESCO). This architectural and artistic examination of the Cathedral was written by Etienne Houvet, the longtime Guardian of the Chartres Cathedral. This work was extracted from a four-volume study of the Cathedral, but is a separate work in its own right as it has been edited and compiled for the tourism market.

Light rubbing to edges of a few leaves, only minor rubbing to portfolio, slight wear to ties. Near-fine condition.