VILLON (Jacques) - VALÉRY (Paul). - Lot 278

VILLON (Jacques) - VALÉRY (Paul). Virgil's Bucolics. Paris: Scripta & Picta, 1953. - In-4, 382x280: XXX pp, (1 f.), 126 pp, (7 ff. last 2 blank), printed cover. Eggplant morocco, boards covered with a rich geometrical decoration of different-colored box, smooth spine decorated with the author's name, title and artist's name in mosaic-capital letters in gray box, inside a decoration of geometrical pieces of different-colored box, lining edges to edges of lilac box, pink box endpapers, gilt edges on witnesses, cover and spine preserved, folder with eggplant morocco spine and cover bands, slipcase (P. L. Martin, 1959). First edition of Paul Valéry's translation, placed opposite the Latin text. It is illustrated with 43 original color lithographs by the painter Jacques VILLON (1875-1963). As stated in the colophon: "This work was written by Paul Valéry during the years 1942-1944 for the "Scripta et Picta" Society to make a beautiful book. This book was compiled by Doctor A. Roudinesco. The images were drawn on stone in color by Jacques Villon, who engraved each color on a different stone in his own hand. Three hundred and twenty stones were used. The lithographs were printed by Célestin on Mourlot Frères presses." The print run was limited to 269 copies, plus a few nominative copies reserved for key contributors. This is one of those few nominative copies, specially printed for Dr. A. Roudinesco, a great bibliophile and founder in 1935 of the publishing house "Scripta & Picta", which published this book. Luxurious mosaic triple binding by Pierre-Lucien Martin, produced at the time for Dr. Roudinesco. A perfectly preserved copy.