The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, Artist’s book by Carol Schwartzott

$925.00

() The Rubaiyat of . Translation Edward FitzGerald. Freeville. New York. 2007. n.p. 11″ x 7″. First Edition 1859. Text pages printed on an Epson 2000 on Mohawk Via vellum using archival pigmented inks. Illustration portfolios are on Moab Enrade, with the original art scanned and printed on an Epson 2000 P. This same illustration is then overprinted with a linocut to produce opacity and pattern. Additional applications of paint, colored pencil and graphite are used to heighten color and detail. Each is finished with gold and silver leaf. The lasercuts are on Glama natural clear vellum, with archways of repeat patterns printed on an etching press using polymer plates. The marbled dividers are of Kozuke Japanese paper hand-marbled. The cover is laser cut bookboard, painted and fauxed. Underneath is the label with a handpainted colored background that sits behind the die-cuts of the window. Book bound in pale green Japanese bookcloth. Dropback box of matching green cloth, lined in Ingres Rag paper, handprinted using a collagraph created from the positive shapes from archway of cover. One in an edition of 25 copies, signed by Schwartzott. New.

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, an artist's book by Carol Schwartzott The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, an artist's book by Carol Schwartzott The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, an artist's book by Carol Schwartzott The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, an artist's book by Carol Schwartzott

Schwartzott writes: “This edition of the Rubaiyat uses the 1st edition of FitzGerald’s translations. Although it is not considered the best of the translations, it is the original. The completion of this book ends my journey of almost ten years. Interestingly, as I worked on its design and reason I really felt it become a more timely piece. For me the Rubaiyat encapsulates the beauty, intellect and mysticism of the Persian world. How lovely to focus on what a culture brings to others instead of the brutality, fear, anger, and enormous sadness that the war in Iraq has conjured up and bestowed upon all of us. I wanted the book to be calm, serene, ethereal, peaceful, tranquil. I chose a quiet solution for the typography, the layers of the illustration portfolios peel away like veils, and little dots of color here and there, along with the gold and silver leaf represent the jeweled covers and illuminated miniatures of rare Persian books. Since marbling was an art invented and developed by the Persians, I used it for a segment divider. A simple binding and protective box completes the presentation.”

Related items: Artists' Books, Poetry, ,