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NEW"The Jewish Hungarian artist Nicolas Sternberg moved to Paris in the 1920s, remaining there for the rest of his life, hiding during the German occupation of the city in the 1940s under false identity papers". [MIA: Minneapolis Institute of Art, cited] Jean-Pierre Dutel provides the following information: Nicolas Sternberg was born to Jewish parents on July 9, 1902, in Nagyvárad, in Austro-Hungary. According to the archives of the Préfecture de police in Paris (1930), he was Hungarian. His real name was Miklós Szines-Sternberg. At the time, it was common among painters and sculptors to retain their original German names while adopting Hungarian-German double surnames. From age twelve, he worked as a newspaper illustrator in Budapest before moving to Paris in the early 1920s after studying in Munich. He published regularly in Paris-Soir, one of the most important French daily newspapers between the wars. Despite his talent, only one solo exhibition seems to have been dedicated to him at the Galerie Georges Petit (Georges Petit, 1856–1920) in 1929. Jules Pascin (1885 –1930) exhibited there in 1930 and committed suicide on the opening day. Sternberg is known for his drawings devoted to the circus, madmen, and pornography. He excelled in portraits and self-portraits, particularly fine portraits of his wife Miche and his friend Michel Simon (1895–1975). In 1927, he made drawings for Les Flambeaux de la Noce, a play at the Comédie-Française. He also contributed to the illustration of La Légende des sexes by Edmond Haraucourt (1856 –1941). In 1930, he created illustrations for Les Aventures du Roi Pausole by Pierre Louÿs (1870–1925), published by Simon Kra (1853–1940), and for an edition of the bawdy songs Les Trois Orfèvres à la Saint Éloi, which led to an investigation into its publisher and illustrator. He also produced original watercolours for an edition of Manuel de Civilité by Pierre Louÿs. In 1933, he illustrated Madame de Pompadour by Paul Reboux (1877 –1963). In 1937, Sternberg illustrated Souls and Secrets, a collection of Hasidic stories by József Patai (1882–1953), translated by his son, the anthropologist, ethnologist, and historian Raphael Patai (Budapest, 1910 – Tucson, 1996), who kept some of Sternberg’s works in his home. Portraits of Michel Simon dating from 1932, along with numerous pornographic photographs of Sternberg taken by the actor between 1940 and 1960, demonstrate the longevity of their relationship. In 1940, Sternberg miraculously escaped the Nazi’s aerial bombardment that killed several members of his family. During the Occupation, he lived in hiding with false papers and resumed his career in Paris after the war. Despite visual differences, Jules Pascin and Nicolas Sternberg shared some curious similarities. Their works, though employing different techniques, reflect the same underlying despair. Like Pascin, Sternberg committed suicide. -
NEWSoftcover volume 245 x 195 mm in cream French flapped wrapper with blue lettering to front, printed on wove paper with Arches watermarkes, header and footer framed in blue arabesque; pp.: ffl [1-4] 5-124 [125] [3] ffl, i.e. 64 leaves plus 12 colour lithographs by Schem (Raoul Serres), incl. frontispiece. A print run of 325 copies, of which this is copy № 69 on Arches vellum. Title-page (blue and black): MARQUIS DE SADE | HISTOIRE | DE JÉRÔME | ILLUSTRÉE D'EAUX-FORTES ORIGINALES | REHAUSSÉES DE COULEURS | PAR UN | ARTISTE INCONNU | PARIS | CHEZ TOUS LES LIBRAIRES | MCMXXXVI || Colophon: JUSTIFICATION DU TIRAGE. Cette édition du Marquis de Sade, illustrée de 12 eaux-fortes originales d'un artiste célèbre, a été strictement limitée à 325 exemplaires sur grand vélin d'Arches à la forme. N° 1. Exemplaire unique sur Japon impérial, comprenant l'état définitif en couleurs des I2 eaux-fortes, une suite en noir avec remarques un cuivre et les 12 dessins originaux. Nos 2 et 3 sur Japon impérial, comprenant l'état définitif en couleurs des 12 eaux-fortes, une suite en noir avec remarques et un dessin de l'artiste. Nos 4 à 12 sur grand vélin d'Arches à la forme, comprenant l'état définitif en couleurs des I2 eaux-fortes, une suite en noir avec remarques un cuivre et un dessin de l'artiste. Nos 13 à 50 sur grand vélin d'Arches à la forme comprenant l'état définitif en couleurs des 12 eaux-fortes et suite en noir avec remarques. Nos 51 à 325 sur grand vélin d'Arches à la forme avec l'état définitif en couleurs des 12 eaux-fortes. Catalogue raisonné: Dutel III № 1697, p. 199. Contributors: Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade (French, 1740 – 1814) – author. Schem [real name Raoul Serres] (French, 1881– 1971) – artist. -
NEWHalf-bound green over grey cloth flapped folder 530 x 370 mm with laces, 3 in-folio folded leaves with text (6 pages) and drawn title-page plus 30 colour offset lithographs 510 x 350 mm after Marcel Vertès. Print run limited to 331 copies with 278 on Sirène, of which this is copy № 51. Title-page: VERTÈS | Nous les Abstraits | Préface de | Roger Peyrefitte || Imprint: © 1960 BY ÉDITIONS LÉDA, 36, RUE ÉTIENNE-MARCEL, PARIS 2° || Colophon: ACHEVÉ D'IMPRIMER | LE 18 AVRIL 1960 |PAR | JACQUES LONDON, IMPRIMEUR | POUR LA PRÉFACE | ET | RENÉ GUILLARD | POUR LES LITHOGRAPHIES || Limitation: CET OUVRAGE A ÉTÉ TIRÉ A 331 EXEMPLAIRES | DONT : UN EXEMPLAIRE UNIQUE COMPORTANT TROIS DESSINS | ORIGINAUX ET DEUX DESSINS ORIGINAUX REFUSÉS, LA | SUITE COMPLÈTE DES PLANCHES AQUARELLÉES A LA | MAIN PAR L'ARTISTE ET QUINZE CROQUIS ORIGINAUX | DE PRÉPARATION. (EXEMPLAIRE NUMÉROTÉ UN.) | 5 EXEMPLAIRES SUR VÉLIN D'ARCHES COMPORTANT | DEUX DESSINS ORIGINAUX ET UN DESSIN ORIGINAL | REFUSÉ, TROIS PLANCHES AQUARELLÉES A LA MAIN, DEUX | PLANCHES REFUSÉES ET CINQ CROQUIS ORIGINAUX, | NUMÉROTÉS DE 2 A 6. | 17 EXEMPLAIRES SUR VÉLIN D'ARCHES COMPORTANT UN | DESSIN ORIGINAL, UNE PLANCHE REFUSÉE ET UN CROQUIS | ORIGINAL, NUMÉROTÉS DE 7 A 23. | 278 EXEMPLAIRES SUR OFFSET SIRÈNE, NUMÉROTÉS DE 24 A 301 | 30 | EXEMPLAIRES HORS COMMERCE NUMÉROTÉS H.C. I | A H.C. XXX. 51 || Marcel Vertès [Marcell Vértes] (Jewish-Hungarian-French, 1895 – 1961) – artist/author Pierre Roger Peyrefitte (French, 1907 – 2000) – author/preface. Imprimerie London (Paris); Jacques [Jankiel] London (Jewish-Ukrainian-French, 1910 – 2011) – printer/text. René Guillard (French, 1889 – after 1961) – printer/lithographs. -
NEWAdvertisement, cover sheet from the album “Improvisations” — Artists Equity Fund, Inc. presents Spring Fantasia Masquerade Ball, May 15, 1953, Hotel Astor. Comb-spine bound pictorial album of 66 colour plates; Limited Edition of 2000 copies; chromolithography on wove paper 305 x 234 mm; marginal holes after plastic comb-spine binding. Recto: Improvisations | ARTISTS EQUITY | MASQUERADE | BALL | 1953 | may 15 | HOTEL ASTOR | Vertès || Verso: “SCHENLEY | DISTRIBUTORS, INC | 350 – 5 AVE NYC. | A. Refregier || Reference: Laster's Fine Art & Antiques; The Cary Collection. Contributors: Marcel Vertès [Marcell Vértes] (Jewish-Hungarian-French, 1895 – 1961) Anton Refregier (Russian-American, 1905 – 1979) Bertram A. Goodman (American, 1904 – 1988) -
NEWHardcover volume 343 x 268 mm, binding by Grimm et Bleicher (Munich) in red cloth with author’s gilt fac-simile to front and gilt lettering to spine, in matching red cloth slipcase, pink endpapers, pp. [1-6] 7-13 [14] [82] (i.e. 48 leaves) with 84 photomechanically reproduced drawings after Leonor Fini. A copy of an unlimited print run. Title-page: Léonor Fini | Les Merveilles de | la Nature || Colophon: JEAN-JACQUES PAUVERT, 8, rue de Nesle, PARIS-VI. © 1971 Editions Kurt Desch GmbH, Munich. Tous droits réservés, y compris ceux de reproductions partielles et de reproductions photomécaniques. Papier des Papeteries Scheufelen, Oberlenningen. Mise en page et impression des entreprises graphiques R. Oldenbourg, Munich. Reliure conçue par Christel Aumann, Munich, et réalisée par Grimm et Bleicher, Munich. Imprimé en Allemagne, 1971. Il a été tiré, spécialement pour Jean-Jacques Pauvert et la Librairie du Palimugre, cent exemplaires numérotés de 1 à 100 contenant une gravure originale de Léonor Fini. Reference: www.honesterotica.com Contributors: Leonor Fini (French, 1907 – 1996) – artist. Severo Sarduy (Cuban, 1937 – 1993) – author/poetry. Jean-Jacques Pauvert (French, 1926 – 2014) – publisher. Kurt Desch (German, 1903 – 1984) – publisher. -
NEWArtist: Keisai Eisen [渓斎 英泉] (Japanese, 1790 – 1848)
Signed: Keisai Eisen ga (渓齋英泉画)
Publisher: Masudaya Ginjirō [増田屋銀次郎] (Japanese, 1830s – c.1871); seal name Masugin (増銀); Marks: 08-005 | 304a
Date: No date/censor seal (privately printed?)
Media: Aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e (団扇絵), color woodblock print, 230 x 295 mm
Description:
Half-length portrait of a young woman in three-quarter view, turned slightly to the left, holding a handheld paper lantern (tesage andon, 手提行灯, which casts light on her face. She wears a blue kimono adorned with chrysanthemum roundels over a red under-kimono, with a blue collar featuring a meander pattern. Her hair is elaborately styled with combs and kanzashi hairpins, indicative of her profession as a geisha. A willow tree is depicted in the background. The design on the lantern likely repeats the publisher's device in red.Estimated production date: c. 1830s.
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NEWArtist: Katsukawa Shun'ei [勝川 春英] (Japanese, 1762 – 1819) Signature: Shun'ei ga [春英画] Dimensions: Aiban yoko-e uchiwa-e, 230 x 268 mm. Censor seal: absent (probably because before 1810). Publisher: Iseya Sōemon – 板元,上, Marks 21-216|156g: Hanmoto, Ue. A blue seal in the middle of the print. -
NEWArtist: Attributed to Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾 北斎) (1760–1849) – unsigned. Publisher: Unknown, seal Hei (平); Marks 05-004 | U377a (1848) Censor Seal: Double nanushi Hama (濱) & Kunigasa (衣笠) Date: Kōka 4–5 / Kaei 1 (1847–1848) Media: Rigid fan print (Aiban Yoko-e Uchiwa-e, 合判横絵 団扇絵), 239 × 301 mm The legendary elderly couple Jō and Uba (尉と姥), spirits of the paired pines of Takasago (高砂) and Sumiyoshi (住吉), are known as the Aioi-no-Matsu (相生の松). They symbolize marital harmony, longevity, and the enduring bond of love. The Takasago legend is one of the oldest in Japanese mythology, famously portrayed in the Noh play Takasago no Uta (高砂の歌).Aioi-no-Matsu – The Paired Pines of Takasago and Sumiyoshi
The Aioi-no-Matsu refers to two pine trees growing separately but intertwined at the roots, representing an unbreakable union.- The Takasago pine (高砂の松) grows in Harima Province, while the Sumiyoshi pine (住吉の松) stands in Settsu Province.
- Though physically distant, these trees are spiritually connected, like Jō and Uba, the aged couple who embody their spirits.
- The phrase "The wind that blows through Takasago reaches Sumiyoshi" symbolizes the continuity of love and harmony across time and space.
Aioi-no-Matsu in the Noh Play Takasago
The Noh play Takasago, attributed to Zeami, popularized this imagery.- Jō and Uba appear as an elderly couple raking pine needles, revealing themselves as the spirits of the Aioi-no-Matsu.
- The play conveys the theme of eternal harmony between husband and wife, making Aioi-no-Matsu a symbol of auspicious blessings for weddings and longevity celebrations.
Symbolism in the Print
This print incorporates traditional symbols of longevity and prosperity:- A minogame (蓑亀, "straw-cloaked turtle"), representing immortality, rests near the shore.
- A crane (鶴, tsuru), a symbol of marital fidelity.
- The rising sun over the ocean represents renewal and hope for the coming year.
- Jō and Uba’s presence under the Aioi-no-Matsu (Paired Pines) evokes the traditional New Year’s wish for long life and unity.
- The minogame and crane further reinforce New Year’s themes of prosperity and fortune.
Comparison to MFA Boston Prints
This print shares strong visual and thematic connections with two works attributed to Hokusai in the MFA Boston collection:- Accession No. 21.10269 – "Jō and Uba, the Spirits of the Pine Trees of Takasago and Sumiyoshi"
- Depicts the couple sweeping pine needles, reinforcing themes of domestic harmony and renewal.
- Includes a minogame and a flying crane, similar to this print.
- Accession No. 21.7869 – Another version of "Jō and Uba"
- Shows Jō and Uba standing, gazing at the sea, in a more expansive composition.
- Features a large pine tree, crashing waves, and a red sun, mirroring the background elements in this print.
MFA-B № 21.10269
MFA-B № 21.7869
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NEWSoftcover volume 240 x 210 mm, publisher’s pictorial wrappers, back wrapper blank, pp.: [1-6] 7-166 [2], b/w illustrations throughout; ISBN 2-86000-022-4. Title-page: LE PARISIEN CHEZ LUI | AU XIX SIÈCLE | 1814 – 1914 | ARCHIVES NATIONALES | HOTEL DE ROHAN | NOVEMBRE 1976 • FÉVRIER 1977 || Imprint: L'Exposition a été organisée | par le Secrétariat d'État à la Culture, | Direction des Archives de France, | avec le concours financier | de la Délégation Générale aux Expositions et Échanges Culturels | et de la Ville de Paris, | et la participation de la Société des | Amis des Archives de France || Favier, Jean (French, 1932 – 2014) – author, directeur général des Archives de France. -
NEWHardcover volume 226 x 206 mm, bound in black cloth, orange paper panel with lettering, black endpapers, pp.: [1-8] 9-128 [4]; print run limited to 502 copies, with 500 printed on Papeir Libris numbered from 1 to 500, of which this is copy № 443. Gift ms in blue ballpen to h.t. by Jacques Duprilot for Guy Parguez (French, 1936 – 2021), a librarian at Lyon Public Library (Bibliothèque de la Ville de Lyon) : « Pour Guy Parguez afin qu'il n'ignore plus rien du presque du catalogue du cabinet secret du Prince G***. Aves toute ma sympathie. A Lyon 1e 18 Juin 1989. Duprilot ». Title-page: JACQUES DUPRILOT | L'ÉNIGME DU CATALOGUE | DU CABINET SECRET | DU PRINCE G*** | OU LES RUSES DU LIBRAIRE LEHEC || Half-title: LES CURIOSA DE MONSIEUR LEHEC | ET | LA GENÈSE | DU CATALOGUE DU CABINET SECRET | DU PRINCE G*** | (1887-1890) || Limitation (colophon): ÉDITION ORIGINALE | ACHEVÉE D'IMPRIMER EN MARS 1989 | PAR DUMARET & GOLAY À CAROUGE-GENÈVE | COMPRENANT | 2 EXEMPLAIRES DE TÊTE NOMINATIFS | SUR JAPON KOZU VELLUM | ET 500 EXEMPLAIRES SUR PAPIER LIBRIS | NUMÉROTÉS DE 1 À 500 | EXEMPLAIRE N° 443 || -
NEWTwo softcover volumes, 295 × 210 mm each, uniformly bound in wrappers with black and grey lettering and a vignette to the front, lettering to the spine, and vignette to the back; both housed in a black cloth slipcase with gilt lettering in a gilt octagonal frame. Vol. 1: Pale yellow wrappers, vignette in colour, lettering, two green flyleaves in the front and back, pp.: [1] 2–167 [1]; contains a detailed study of Hiroshige’s travel prints, including the Tōkaidō and Kisokaidō series. Title-page: PRINTS | BY UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE | IN THE JAMES A. MICHENER | COLLECTION | VOLUME 1 | Essay by Kobayashi Tadashi | Catalogue by Howard A. Link | {publisher’s device} Honolulu Academy of Arts 1991 || Vol. 2: Cream wrappers, vignette in black and white, lettering, pp.: [1] 2–64; provides additional analysis, notes, and a selected bibliography. Title-page: PRINTS | BY UTAGAWA HIROSHIGE | IN THE JAMES A. MICHENER | COLLECTION | VOLUME 2 | Essays and Catalogue Commentaries | by Howard A. Link | {vignette portrait} | {publisher’s device} Honolulu Academy of Arts 1991 || Contributors: Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797–1858) – artist. James A. Michener (American, 1907–1997) – collector. Kobayashi Tadashi (Japanese, born 1941) – essayist. Howard A. Link (American, dates unknown) – catalogue compiler. Honolulu Academy of Arts (now Honolulu Museum of Art) – publisher. -
NEWSoftcover volume 250 x 190 mm in publisher’s French flapped wrappers in glassine jacket, marbled with red lettering, in a double slipcase 257 x 196 mm with printed imitation of toile de Jouy; printed on watermarked BFK Rives paper, outer and lower margins untrimmed, unbound, folded quires in 4to, pp.: [1-6] 7-116 [4], leaves in the wrappers not counted, plus 12 plates – coloured etchings by Suzanne Ballivet – within collation; tissue guards laid in. Title-page (red and black): HONORÉ - GABRIEL RIQUETTI | COMTE DE MIRABEAU | le rideau levé | ou | L'EDUCATION | de | LAURE | {fleuron} | AUX ÉDITIONS DU PRIAPE D'ARGENT | — | AVEC PRIVILEGE DU ROY || Colophon: LA PREMIÈRE PARTIE DU RIDEAU LEVÉ, | A ÉTÉ ACHEVÉE D'IMPRIMER EN MARS | 1794, SUR LES PRESSES DE MAITRE BRUTUS | NICAISE, A VERSAILLES. | DANS LA SECONDE PARTIE DE CET OU- | VRAGE, TIRÉE TRÈS PROCHAINEMENT LE | LECTEUR RETROUVERA LAURE, LA JEUNE | HEROINE DE CE RECIT, QUI, EN UN LAN- | GAGE DÉNUÉ DE CETTE FAUSSE PUDEUR, | CHERE AUX HYPOCRITES, CONTERA LES | PRÉMICES DE SON INITIATION AUX | JOUTES AMOUREUSES | 🖤 || Justification du tirage. Le tirage de cette édition a été rigoureusement limité a cent quatre-vingt-dix-sept exemplaires. Sa composition s'effectue de la façon suivante : Un exemplaire unique sur Japon Imperial portant le numéro 1 ; Douze exemplaires sur grand papier de Rives a la forme numérotés de 2 a 13 ; Vingt-quatre exemplaires sur grand papier de Rives a la forme, numérotés de 14 a 37 ; Cent soixante exemplaires sur grand papier de Rives a la forme, numérotes de 38 a 197. Enrichis d'une suite des remarques [sv: lacking]. Il a été tiré en outre : vingt-six exemplaires marqués de A à z, destinés à un groupe de bibliophiles d’Afrique du nord. Exemplaire N° 190. Limitation: This is copy № 190 of the print run of 197 commercial copies. Catalogue raisonné: Dutel III № 2333, p. 350 ; Honesterotica. Contributors: Mirabeau, Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, Comte de (French, 1749 – 1791) – author. Suzanne Ballivet (French, 1904 – 1985) – artist. -
NEWHardcover volume 295 x 240 mm, blue cloth spine over paper boards; front pictorial with lettering, back blue with white lettering, red lettering to spine; pp. [1–6] 7–527 [528]; catalogue of the Alan Medaugh collection of Utagawa Hiroshige prints, featuring an annotated catalogue of 500 works, divided into nine thematic sections, with essays by leading scholars.Title-page: HIROSHIGE | NATURE AND THE CITY | PRINTS FROM THE ALAN MEDAUGH COLLECTION | — | CATALOGUE BY JIM DWINGER | ESSAYS BY JOHN T. CARPENTER | ANDREAS MARKS | RHIANNON PAGET | SHIHO SASAKI | COLLECTION PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYOKO MATSUBA | — | PUBLISHED BY LUDION ||
Contributors:
- Utagawa Hiroshige [歌川 広重] a.k.a. Andō Hiroshige [安藤 広重] (Japanese, 1797–1858) – artist.
- Medaugh, Alan (American, 1963 – 2024) – collector.
- Dwinger, Jim – catalogue compiler.
- Carpenter, John T. – essayist.
- Marks, Andreas – essayist.
- Paget, Rhiannon – essayist.
- Sasaki, Shiho – essayist.
- Matsuba, Ryoko – collection photographer.
- Ludion – publisher.
ISBN: 978-9493039988.
For more information, you can refer to the publisher's page: accartbooks.com
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NEWSoftcover volume 218 x 155 mm, French flapped wrappers in glassine jacket, with red lettering to front “UNE JEUNE FILLE | À LA PAGE”; pp.: [1-8] 9-139 [140] [4], i.e. 72 leaves total, incl. those in the wrapper, plus 10 photomechanically printed colour plates after Paul-Émile Bécat. Limited edition of 400 copies with 350 printed on vélin surfin paper numbered from 51 to 400; this is copy № 254. Title-page (red and black): HELENA VARLEY | UNE JEUNE FILLE | A LA PAGE | {fleuron} | A LA VILLA BRIGITTE | COLLECTION DES DEUX HÉMISPHÈRES || Imprint/Limitation: CETTE ÉDITION, NON MISE DANS LE COMMERCE | ET RÉSERVÉE A DES AMATEURS, A ÉTÉ TIRÉE | A 400 EXEMPLAIRES, TOUS NUMÉROTÉS A LA | PRESSE, A SAVOIR : | 50 EXEMPLAIRES SUR VELIN PUR FIL LAFUMA, | NUMÉROTÉS DE 1 A 50 ; | 350 EXEMPLAIRES SUR VELIN SURFIN, |NUMÉROTÉS DE 51 A 400. | EXEMPLAIRE N° 254 | Exemplaire sur vélin surfin. || Catalogue raisonné: Dutel III № 2564, p. 401. Honesterotica. Contributors: Nicolaï, Michèle [Varley, Helena] (French, 1896 – 1950) – author. Bécat, Paul-Émile (French, 1885 – 1960) – artist. Duflou, Maurice (French, 1885 – 1951) – publisher. -
NEWHardcover volume 290 x 225 mm, bound in blue cloth with red lettering to front and spine, pictorial endpapers, in glossy black pictorial dust jacket, pp.: [1-7] 8-126 [2], profusely illustrated in colour. Title-page: GERARD INGOLD | Les boules | presse-papiers | et les sulfures | DES CRISTALLERIES | DE SAINT LOUIS | {publisher’s device Hermé} || Author: Ingold, Gerard (French, 1922 – 2011) -
The top cover of the French humouristic weekly Le Rire № 631, 7 Mars 1931. Lettering: № 631 – 7 Mars 1931 … S.A.D.E.P. … Le Numéro : 1 fr. 50 | Le Rire | JOURNAL HUMORISTIQUE PARAISSANT LE SAMEDI | — Dis donc, maman, ce qu'il doit être curieux, le / Monsieur d'en face, ça fait une heure qu'il cherche à / lire le titre de ton livre. | Dessin de ROJANKOVSKY. Publisher: S.A.D.E.P. => Éditions: Société Auxilliaire pour la Diffusion des Éditions de Productivité — 11, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Paris. Artist: Feodor Rojankovsky [Rojan, Фёдор Степанович Рожанковский] (Russian-French-American, 1891 – 1970) -
NEWHardcover volume 257 x 172 mm in a suede slipcase 264 x 175 mm, bound by Ateliers Babouot in yellow morocco, front board gilt-stamped with frames and borders, flat spine with gilt in compartments, brown label lettered in gilt, grey moire endpapers, yellow paper faux-titles, pp. [i-v] vi-x [xi] [3] [2] 1-531 [532] [4], i.e. 552 pp. total, profusely illustrated with full-page and in-text b/w and toned reproductions; top edge gilt. Title-page (gilt and black): DICTIONNAIRE | DES ŒUVRES | ÉROTIQUES | DOMAINE FRANÇAIS | PRÉFACE DE PASCAL PIA | {vignette} | MERCURE DE France || Imprint: Tous droits de reproduction, de traduction et d'adaptation réservés pour tous les pays. © MERCURE DE FRANCE, 1971. Colophon: Achevé d'imprimer le 11 octobre 1971 par Firmin-Didot Paris-Mesnil-Ivry sur couche job mat des papeteries Dujardin ; photogravure Haudressy-Ronan ; reliure de Babouot ; maquette de Gilbert Minazzoli et Virginia Silva. Imprint : № d'édition : 5398 – № d'impression : 6384; Dépôt légal : 4e trimestre 1971. Contributors: Pascal Pia [Pierre Durand] (French, 1903 – 1979) – author/compiler. -
NEWOrigin: Seychelles, endemic to Praslin and Curieuse Islands
Weight: 812 g
Dimensions: 210 × 215 × 135 mm
Condition: Naturally aged, with a dark, textured surface and visible patinaThis Coco de Mer seed, also known as the double coconut, features its characteristic bilobed shape with a deep central groove resembling the human form. The dark brown to black surface exhibits natural striations, a fibrous texture, and a slightly glossy patina. Specks of residue and natural imperfections indicate age and environmental exposure.
One side presents a narrower, well-defined cleft, while the opposite side is broader and more rounded, emphasizing its unique form and symmetry. The seed's dense, heavy structure aligns with the species’ reputation as the largest and heaviest seed in the plant kingdom.
Native exclusively to the Seychelles, the Coco de Mer was historically surrounded by mystical associations, once believed to be a fruit from an underwater tree. This specimen has been naturally preserved, showcasing the organic beauty and rarity of the species.
