REGNIER (Henri de). Trois contes à soi-même. Miniatures by M - Lot 261

REGNIER (Henri de). Trois contes à soi-même. Miniatures by Maurice Ray. A very fine copy, impeccably bound in morocco and lined by Noulhac. Paris, Les Cent Bibliophiles, 1907. In-8 (250x180mm), full burgundy morocco, covers richly framed with gilt and cold-stamped fillets and a mosaic of brown morocco, small gilt irons at the corners and punches, spine with 4 nerves, boxes framed in the same way; covers lined with brown morocco, corners mosaic-stamped with daisy motifs, counter-guards in wine-red silk, covers and spines preserved printed in gold on parchment, lined case (Noulhac). [5ff.] 62pp. [5ff.]; engraved frontispiece in bistre ink, 37 in-text miniatures, 3 full-page plates, all in color. Some spotting. One of 130 copies on watermarked paper, the only edition; this is Paul Istel's personal copy (the famous author of "L'assurance contre la maladie en Allemagne", Larose, 1905). The three tales in question are: "Le Sixième Mariage de Barbe-Bleue", "Le Récite de la Dame des Sept Miroirs" & "Le Heurtoir Vivant". Written - the titles are a clue - in a fin-de-siècle Symbolist style, these tales take place in eras often fantasized about by this school; the Middle Ages, Antiquity and 18th-century France. They were originally published in 1893. Illustrated with numerous color erotic compositions by Maurice Ray (1863-1938) engraved by Albert Bertrand (1852-1912), including 3 hors-texte. Both exhibited regularly at the Salon des artistes français. The beautiful gold-printed parchment cover has been preserved.