DENOYERS Fernand Le Bras noir. Pantomime en vers.

First edition of the author’s first publication.

This play was first performed in Paris at the Théâtre des Folies-Nouvelles on 7 February 1856.  Le Bras noir (The Black Arm) is based on Gérard de Nerval’s tale La Main enchantée (The Enchanted Hand), published in 1832.

The motif of the hand, or in this case the arm, cut off and acting by its own will, is common to both works. In Le Bras noir, Pierrot and his rival Scapin fight a duel for the love of Nini. Pierrot loses an arm, but manages to wrest his from Scapin. It is this black arm, in much better condition than his own, that he asks Doctor Roïdamos to graft to his body. The operation is a success, but the limb causes him many problems.

Desnoyers’s play was a success and starred the famous actor Paul Legrand. Following his success, Desnoyers decided to create a newspaper bearing the same name, Le Bras noir, which changed its name to Polichinelle in December 1858. For his newspaper, Desnoyers surrounded himself with the entire 19th century dramatic world, in particular Théodore de Banville, Dupont and Mathieu.

The work is embellished with a frontispiece based on a work by Courbet. It was originally used as a poster for Desnoyers’ pantomime. It shows Pierrot protecting himself with his only remaining arm from the macabre and disproportionate vision of Scapin’s black arm. Courbet seemed to like the composition and used Pierrot’s pose in another work he painted the following year: Portrait de Louis Gueymard en Robert le Diable. Courbet also met Gueymard through Desnoyers.

Some foxing.