Le Bout de L'Oreille

Paris: Arnauld de Vresse, 1855. Whisperings in the Ear"
"A Little Bit of One's True Self"

COMBA, Pierre-Paul. Le Bout de L'Oreille par Comba. Paris: Arnauld de Vresse, [ca. 1855].

First edition. Folio (12 15/16 x 10 inches; 338 x 254 mm.). Pictorial hand colored lithograph title and eighteen fine and amusing hand colored lithograph plates.

Mid twentieth century red cloth over boards, smooth spine with maroon morocco label lettered in gilt, marbled endpapers. A fine copy.

Extremely scarce: According to OCLC there are no copies in libraries and institutions worldwide.

COMBA, Pierre-Paul (1833-1872) was an artist of Italian descent. We have been unable to locate any other examples of this fine work. We do however know of two other works by him: Paris et ses Parisiens; Types et Moeurs. Paris: Arnauld de Vresse, 1850 (15 hand colored lithographs) and Coqueau et Coquette: Album Comique. Paris: Arnauld de Vresse, 1855 (18 lithographs).

The Plates:

1. Ma Moutarde après Diner!
My Mustard after Dinner!

2. La belle Plume fait le bel oiseau.
The beautiful Feather makes the beautiful bird.

3. Il ne faut pas tans de chiens après un os.
It doesn't take so many dogs after a bone.

4. Un homme sans abri. Est un oiseau sans nid.
A homeless man. Is a bird without a nest.

5. La Sauce coûte plus, que le Poisson!!...
The Sauce costs more, than the Fish!!...

6. Des Larmes de Crocodile!
Crocodile Tears!

7. C'est le chemindu Paradis, on n'y va qu'un par un!!
This is the way to Paradise, we only go one by one!!

8. Nous Mannequin! Ah bah!... Les Femmes sont parfaitement comme les roses qui habillent et deshabillent, elles sont à la fois le Paradis des yeux, l'Enfer de l'âme, et le Purgatoire de la bourse.
We Model! Ah bah!... Women are perfectly like the roses which dress and undress, they are at the same time the Paradise of the eyes, the Hell of the soul, and the Purgatory of the purse.

9. Et tu pleure ça, ma belle biche, fais comme moi, envoie ton mari à l'ecole de l'Arithméthique et fais lui apprendre la Multipplication.
And you cry over that, my beautiful doe, do like me, send your husband to the school of Arithmethics and teach him Multiplication.

10. Il vaut mieux s'adresser à Dieu qu'à ses Saints...
It is better to address God than to his Saints...

11. Faire venir l'eau à la bouche!
Make your mouth water!

12. Mordre à l'Hameçon!
Take the bait!

13. Qui aime Bertrand, aime son Chien...
Who loves Bertrand, loves his Dog...

14. Que le mari soit vieux, repoussant comme le diable, ou qu'il dépense tout son bien au litre, sa femme doit le traiter comme son mâitre, son Souverain, son Dieu!! Si son mari s'absente, elle doit jeuner, coucher sur la terre, et s'abstenir de toute toilette, il n'y a pas d'autre Dieu sur la terre pour une creature féminine que son mari.
Whether the husband is old, repulsive as the devil, or spends all his wealth by the liter, his wife must treat him as her master, her Sovereign, her God!! If her husband is absent, she must fast, sleep on the earth, and abstain from any toilet, there is no other God on earth for a female creature than her husband.

15. Faire le Chien couchant.
Do the Sleeping Dog.

16. Tout Chien qui aboie, ne mord pas.
Any dog that barks does not bite.

17. Ah! Ah! V'la le beau Monsieur à cheval et sa Dame qui sortent de leur chateau, font ils leur tête!! Ne les insulte point, Paillard, tu ne sais pas, ce que tu peux devenir.
Ah! Ah! Here is the handsome gentleman on horseback and his lady coming out of their castle, are they acting up!! Don't insult them, Paillard, you don't know what you can become.

18. ...Oh! c'est tout au plus si vous avez quatre pieds... C'est vrai mon cher ami, la votre en a un, qui en vaut quatre.
...Oh! it's at most if you have four feet... It's true my dear friend, yours has one, which is worth four.