POH-DÈNG: SCÈNES DE LA VIE SIAMOISE

Paris: L'Édition d'Art, H. Piazza, [1913]. ONE OF 12 COPIES on Japon with an original watercolor and two additional states of illustrations (and 50 on Japon with one additional state of illustrations, and 288 on vélin à la cuve). 238 x 165 mm. (9 3/8 x 6 1/2"). 179, [1] pp., [3] leaves.
HANDSOME CARAMEL-COLORED MOROCCO, DRAMATICALLY DECORATED IN GILT AND BLIND, BY DURVAND (stamp-signed on front turn-in), covers with a wide gilt border of round flowers and scrolling vines, flanked by dotted rolls, surrounding a similar border tooled in blind, front cover with a central panel similarly decorated with a central seated figure in blind surrounded by a solid gilt aureole, smooth spine decorated with a similar gilt design of flowers and vines with a seated figure at the head and tail, wide turn-ins with four gilt rules, chocolate brown watered silk endleaves, leather hinges, top edge gilt. Original red and gold printed paper wrappers bound in. In a (slightly worn) felt-lined marbled paper slipcase. Text within decorative chromolithographed frames, elaborate borders to title page and to beginning pages of the five chapters, hybrid beasts on the limitations page and in the colophon, two full-page color plates in a similar style, WITH 51 POCHOIR COLOR ILLUSTRATIONS BY JOSEPH DE LA NÉZIÈRE, nine of these full page, THESE REPEATED IN TWO ADDITIONAL STATES, one in monochrome on vélin à la cuve and one in pochoir on Japon, plus AN ORIGINAL WATERCOLOR FRONTISPIECE by Joseph de La Nézière. A few faint smudges internally if you look hard to find them, but A VERY FINE COPY, extremely fresh and clean in a gleaming binding.

This is an especially opulent production in a memorable binding from a major publisher of bibliophile editions. Our binder Durvand (1852-1924) operated one of the finest workshops in turn-of-the-century Paris, and trained a number of talented artisans. In 1900 he was awarded a silver medal for his bindings at the Universal Exhibition, and, according to Flety, he was devoted to improving the craft of binding right up to his death. Here, the rich texture of the profusely used blind and gilt decoration creates the wonderful effect of a gleaming temple emerging from the shadow of a dense forest. This sumptuous covering is well-suited to the book's contents, comprising vivid descriptions of life in the exotic Far East by an author familiar with the region. Lawyer and judge Paul-Louis Rivière (1873-1959) specialized in French colonial law and spent time living in Siam (now Thailand). The richly colored plates are by noted Orientalist painter Joseph de La Nézière (1873–1944), who travelled widely in North Africa and the Far East. While he is known primarily for his landscapes and portraits, this is apparently the only book that La Nézière illustrated. One of just a dozen deluxe copies, ours includes three complete suites of the illustrations, two beautifully colored with pochoir, with glowing, buttery light being used to great effect. The original watercolor frontispiece is especially lovely, the scene of boaters at sunrise gleaming with the rising sun on the graceful palms and shimmering water. As lovely as the binding and the illustrations are, the dazzling condition here is one further recommendation for the book..