SOMOV, Konstantin Andreevich

SOMOV, Konstantin Andreevich
Le livre de la Marquise. Recueil de poesie et de prose. Publication: R. Golicke and A. Wilborg, St. Petersburg, 1918. СOMOВ, Константин Андреевич. Книга Маркизы. С. – Петербург, Голике и Вильборг, 1918. Первое издание в оригинальном шелковом переплете. тираж 800 экземпляров, из них всего несколько в шелковом переплете. First edition of Somov’s celebrated illustrations, here in the rare and very fragile original publisher’s silk binding, with its pink colour still very fresh. Limited to 800 copies only, much fewer in silk binding. Somov (1869-1939) initiated the project of gathering various erotic literary works, mainly French from the 18th century, and illustrated them with numerous hand-coloured compositions, in which he deve- loped his sensual and sometimes precious style. Description and Bibliographical references: Quarto (26 x 19.2 cm). Half-title, title, vi pp., [1] l., 200 pp., [3] l. (one blank), 21 plates inclu- ding a frontispiece and numerous illustrations in text, all by Somov, many signed and hand-coloured. Original publisher’s pink silk binding, lettered in gilt; upper joint split, a bit rubbed.