KIPLING RUDYARD [Kees Van Dongen] - Lot 253

KIPLING RUDYARD [Kees Van Dongen] Les plus beaux contes Paris, 1920, Editions de la Sirène, small in-4 full cherry-colored basane decorated with motifs from the illustration, painted on vellum and inlaid. Bound by Rozenn Gaudicheau-Raffin. 117pp. French translation by Louis Fabulet and Robert d'Humières. 23 large color drawings by Kees van Dongen colored in Marty's workshops. Printed by Louis Kaldor. Edition of 300 copies. One of 250 on Rives vellum. COPY ENRICHED WITH AN AUTOGRAPH LETTER FROM VAN DONGEN. Mahé II-512 / Carteret IV-221. "Edition estimée". Collection of 4 tales including: L'Homme qui voulut être roi, La Porte des cent mille peines, Tommaï des éléphants and Chansons de route des Bandar-Log. In 1919, Van Dongen was commissioned by Editions de la Sirène to illustrate Hassan-Badreddine-El-Bassraoui, one of the tales from the Thousand and One Nights. This collaboration proved a commercial success, and the publisher was keen to repeat it with Kipling. Unfortunately, the book was not very successful, and stocks were sold to Jonquières in 1926, who had a new cover and title page printed. Minor foxing on one leaf.