FLOURY, Henri (editor) [Art Nouveau]

L'Image Revue Artistique et Littéraire Ornée de Figures sur Bois Paraissant tous les Mois. [Edition de luxe - Full Run of Twelve Issues Bound in Two Volumes with Prospectus and Proofs]

Paris: H. Floury, [1898]. Lepère, Mucha, Toulouse-Lautrec, et. al. cover illustrators. Limited Edition de Luxe. Three quarter leather. Folio. The complete run of twelve issues December 1896 - December 1897 bound in two volumes. French text. Uniformly bound in three quarter dark red morocco over marbled paper covered boards, spine titles stamped in gilt, marbled endpapers. Unpaginated. Approximately 55 leaves in each issue with pale blue stiff paper wraps, titles and illustrations printed in two colors. Preceded by illustrated half title (both vols) and title page plus preview issue (spécimen) in Arches paper wraps (vol. 1.) Edition de luxe of 100 on fine papier de chine with an additional print of each illustration without the text (hors texte) on China paper, and signed smoke proofs of twelve cuts from the text. This copy stamped number 52 on the limitation page. Leaf edges minimally foxed, board lower edges slightly rubbed, else near fine. Vol. I with mistletoe Ex Libris of Swiss bibliophile August Vautier. Near Fine. Item #13055

Magnificent presentation of many great fin-de-siècle artists, illustrators and wood engravers by a publisher intent on preserving a medium under threat by photo reproduction. In the scarce limited edition de luxe on coated China paper instead of wove for optimum image rendering. The illustrated title page for the collection reads "Cette revue fondée par la corporation Française des graveurs sur bois a été publiée sous la direction littéraire de Roger Marx et Jules Rais et sous la direction artistique de Tony Beltrand, August Lepère et Léon Ruffe."

Covers illustrated by Mucha, Auriol, de Feure, Darbour, Verneuil, Drogue, Bellery-Desfontaines, Berthon, Victor Prouvé, Belleville, Toulouse-Lautrec and Marcel-Lenoi. Includes work by Chéret, Denis, Grasset, Helleu, Laboureur, Lucien Pissarro, and Félix Vallotton. Literary contributors include Pierre Louÿs, André Mellerio, Charles Maurice, Jules Renard, Georges Rodenbach and Emile Verhaeren.

Price: $5,000.00