[MALASSIS]. LAFAYETTE (Madame de). La princesse de Clèves. P - Lot 507

[MALASSIS]. LAFAYETTE (Madame de). La princesse de Clèves. Paris, Piazza, Le Livre français (n°1), 1922. Large in-8, havana morocco, spine with 5 raised bands, gilt author, title, place and date, spine and boards richly mosaiced with black morocco interlacing and gilt foliate and floral scrolls framed in gilt fillet, double gilt fillet at the edges, cherry morocco lining edged with a quintuple gilt fillet, with fleurons at the spandrels, all edged with a gilt fillet, burgundy moiré silk endpapers, marbled paper second endpapers, covers and spines preserved, gilt edges. and spine, gilt edges on witnesses, lined slipcase [Noulhac] (small tear to gilt title). An exceptional copy of this edition of La Princesse de Clèves, the first work to appear in the publisher's collection published for Le Livre français. It is one of 500 copies on Japon paper (no. 11); enriched with 29 original drawings, including 20 signed by the painter and illustrator Edmond Malassis (1874-1944) and dated 1926, hors-texte; and 5 headers and 4 culs-de-lampe. Colorized woodcut title vignette. Splendid binding dated 1930, executed by Noulhac, the decoration inspired by Renaissance bindings composed by Madeleine Noulhac. Provenance: André-Philippe-Alfred Régnier, Duc de Massa (1837-1913; engraved armorial bookplate).