ETIENNE HOUVET PHOTO COLLECTION OF CHARTRES CATHEDRAL EARLY 20 th CENTURY, TEXT BY YVES DELAPORTE This set contains hundreds of photos of Chartres Cathedral, plus descriptive text (all in French). When I obtained this set in Chartres in 2002, it was valued at 18,000 francs, or around $4,000. I haven t seen anther set, so I don t know if this was aggregated from several sets to make one complete one, or if the original volumes had some variation in cover color. One volume seems more faded and worn than the others (fourth from the left). I have described all of the volumes in the pages below. MONOGRPHIE Monographie de la Cathédrale de Chartres The first volume is a slightly smaller format than the others (8 ⅝ x 9 ¼ vs. 10 x 11 ¾ ). This may be separate from the original set, which may have been just ten volumes. Inside, there is a full color photo of the window Notre-Dame de la Belle Verriere. Written on the inside of the front cover is Richard W. Dwight, bought at Chartres 1924 or 28. Etienne Houvet is identified as the Gardien de la Cathédrale.
I think it is amazing that this set contains eleven full-color photos. I have seen some reproductions and reprints of a few works by Etienne Houvet on Amazon, but rarely these volumes, except for the followin. I found this: This is the same as my volume, but not bound, being loose leaf. (Published in 1910, perhaps the precursor to the larger set.) These books are a hundred years old, after all. Here are some photos from the first volume, which has a few pages of text and then one photo on every righthand page. All of the photos are intact with none having been removed.
When the cathedral was built at the beginning of the 13 th century, Mary was a Queen and Jesus a King. In all of their representations they wear crowns and dress like royalty. In the 15 th century, new sculptures by Jean de Beauce pictured Mary as a home body, sitting and sewing.
Here is a more startling example of the value of these original volumes and how much things have changed since then. Pollution has erased details and fingers and toes. Some statues have been replaced by replicas. Here is Houvet s photo of Notre Dame du Pilier (Our Lady of the Pillar), a statue sculpted in 1497. One of the most revered icons in the cathedral, in recent times this statue has been in a chapel where the north transept meets the choir. Note Houvet s signature on the photo.
As a result of the cleaning and restoration of the chapel, Notre-Dame du Pillier went through some changes, much to the outrage of Chartres lovers, changing Mary and Jesus from earthy figures, suggestive of a black madonna, to doll-like European-looing figures. It hardly looks like the same statue. This is not a joke. They actually did this. Houvet s photo has n o crowns. Here, they were changed. Look back to the 1910 photograph again, to see how the statue was then. What a difference. The same is true for all of the photos in these volumes. They show a past that is gone forever. ARCHITECTURE Being on the shelf for so many years, the spine is quite faded, but the covers are in good shape. Inside in a slip of paper that gives the price as 12,000 francs. That would be around $3,000 if the slip dates to March 19, 1995, almost ten years before I priced it. It also shows that the value increases over time. On the first page, Houvet gives his impressions gained in the course of being the guardian of the Cathedral. The first volume has a green cover. This volume and two others have covers a slightly different shade of green. The other eight volumes have blue covers. I don t know why this is.
PORTAIL OCCIDENTAL AU ROYAL This photo volumes contain only Etienne Houvet s name. The Preface is by Émile Male. This volume has a green cover. The spine is faded and slightly torn and worn down the back edge (photo). The photo enlarges the flaw and makes it look much worse.
LES VITRAUX DE LA CATHÉDRALE DE CHARTRES (TEXTE) Here Yves Delaporte returns as author of the text. This is the last of the green-cover volumes. The fade line is evident on the cover as well as the spine. This spine has the most damage of any volume, coming loose (although not completely) along the back edge (see below).
Inside is the date 1926, quite a bit later than the date of the photos (1910). This volume has more than 500 pages. As with all of the volumes, the paper is darkening with age. LES VITRAUX DE LA CATHÉDRALE DE CHARTRES -- PLANCHES I LES VITRAUX DE LA CATHÉDRALE DE CHARTRES -- PLANCHES II LES VITRAUX DE LA CATHÉDRALE DE CHARTRES -- PLANCHES III Each of these volumes has several pages in the front with full color photos (three in Planches I, four in Planches II and three in Planches III) which have been glued to the page. They are all in great condition.
Bak to black-and-white. Here is the head of the Centurion from one of the windows. These are the first of the blue covered books. The spines are in very good condition and less faded. In some places, there is a little separation on the inside of the front cover, as shown below.
PORTAIL SUD -- I PORTAIL SUD -- II These are in very good shape. No damage, minimal fading. The pages are still getting brown and seem quite fragile. I guess that shouldn t be surprising given their age.
PORTAIL NORD -- I PORTAIL NORD - LL Same as above. No date. Good condition. At the bottom of the title page in each volume it says Ouvrage Couronnés par l Académie des Beaux-Arts. In volume I here, they forgot to print that, so it is printed on a tiny strip of paper which has been glued by hand to the page. Saint Modeste, of course. These volumes don t say 1926 in them, as a few of the others did.
CLOTURE DU CHOEUR This final volume is in similar condition. It does not have the little tag line about the Beaux-Arts nor has it been glued in. No date. Here we have Notre-Dame du Pilier. Here again, the photos are very calm and interior compared to the modern adornment.
The doors lead to narrow rooms located completely inside the wall of the choir enclosure. I think I read that Joseph Campbell slept in one once.
Thus concludes the description of this outstanding set of books, containing more than a thousand photos. The pages are heavy duty, with the photo on the righthand side and the left side blank (being the back of the photo on the previous page). In at least one case, the cropping of the pages missed by a tiny bit and the pages were still connected together. I have not found any markings or underlining (although I haven t looked at every page, as I didn t want to add wear to the books). Judging by the price I found inside one of the books, the value of this set went up by 50% from the mid-1990s to 2002, from 12,000 francs to 18,000 francs. Now, sixteen years later, I believe these books are worth twice the $3,000 that I am asking for them (plus shipping). Please give them your consideration. Many thanks. Robert Ferré (800) 873-9873 robert@robertferre.com