La science de Dieu ou La création de l'homme (The Science of God, or The Creation of Man)
<p>In this ambitious display of Surrealist bookbinding, Mary Reynolds utilized unorthodox materials and imagery that complement the book’s text, Jean-Pierre Brisset’s “The Science of God, or the Creation of Man.” Brisset was a prolific “outsider writer” and self-taught linguist in 19th century France. He became popular posthumously for his self-published theories on the French language, in which he claimed that humans evolved from a lost race of frogs. Although publicly scrutinized by some, his writings were admired by the Surrealists for their humor and wordplay.</p> <p>The foundation of the binding is a weighty cover composed of three layers of board, tiered in a step pattern that is almost architectural. On the front cover and back, Reynolds secured the flayed and pressed skins of two enormous toads. These flattened skins fill the visual field and extend to the edges of both covers. Green scale-like patterned endpapers unfurl upon opening the book, reinforcing the amphibian design scheme.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 1930
- Dimensions
- 20.5 × 18.4 × 4.4 cm (8 1/8 × 7 1/4 × 1 3/4 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Artist
- Mary Reynolds
Artist
Textile
Mary Reynolds was an American artist and bookbinder active in Paris during the mid-twentieth century. Working primarily in hand-bound volumes and paper arts, she developed a distinctive practice that merged fine art with the craft tradition of bookbinding. Her work bridged Surrealist circles and the material culture of the book object itself. This profile will be expanded as more verified source material becomes available.
Full artist profile →More
More by Mary Reynolds
Le surmâle: Roman moderne (Superman: A Modern Novel)
1945 · Full black morocco binding with onlay; metal corset stay attached to spine; title stamped in gold on spine; mauve endpapers printed with wire-mesh pattern; original paper covers bound in
Loin de Rueil (Skin of Dreams)
1944 · Full red morocco binding with raised bands; author and title stamped in gold on spine; endpapers of trial proofs for Marcel Duchamp's 1935 cover of Minotaure; original paper covers bound in
Rrose Sélavy
1939 · Full sienna, pink, and beige goatskin with cotton cord, grey-card onlays with trial stamps of a typographic plate made for Duchamp's Box in a Valise. Endpapers printed in pochoir with fern-leaf pattern and hand-drawn insects in black ink
Les Enfants du limon: Roman (Children of Clay: Novel)
1938 · Bound in combination full morocco leather with gold lettering, leather doublure margins; marbled paper end leaves; original covers bound in
Les Mains libres: Dessins de Man Ray, illustrés par les poèmes de Paul Éluard (Free Hands: Drawings illustrated by the poems of Paul Éluard)
1937 · Full tan morocco binding; leather gloves onlaid on front and back covers; author and title stamped in palladium on spine; doublures; silk endpapers; top edge gilt; original paper covers bound in
Ubu roi: Drame en cinq actes (King Ubu: A Play in Five Acts)
1935 · Full tan morocco binding; boards die cut in the shape of U; onlays on spine in shape of B; black silk endleaves; crown stamped in gold on front endleaf; author stamped in gold on back endleaf; gilt edges; original paper covers bound in
Record
Verified by WattsOS- Artist
- Mary Reynolds
- Year
- 1930
- Dimensions
- 20.5 × 18.4 × 4.4 cm (8 1/8 × 7 1/4 × 1 3/4 in.)
- Watts ID
- WW-1930-047798
Source
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified
Explore
More Heavy boards covered with calf, green outside and black inside; on the front and back are onlays of frogskin; inside boards are reinforced with secondary boards in green with gold lettering, with facing leaves of decorated paper simulating frog skin; the spine is black calf with vertical lines in blind stamping; original paper covers bound in works →All works by Mary Reynolds →