Jean-Des-Figues. by SIMÉON [Fernand] (illustrates), ARÈNE, Paul - 1927

Privately printed by R. Coulouma, Argenteuil., 1927. First edition with these illustrations. Préface de J.-J. Brousson. Quarto. pp xx, 200. Colour wood-engraved title-vignette, plates and illustrations by Siméon, wood-engraved tail-pieces each printed in a different colour by Jacques Beltrand. Bound in full vellum, by L.P.Quillet, with hand-painted decorative borders in green, blue, brown and gilt, spine with similar decoration and lettered in red and black with gilt fourishes at the capitals. Top edge gilt. Marbled endpapers. Original wrappers bound in. Preserved within a vellum-backed card sleeve with vellum yapped edges. Fernand Siméon (1884-1928) was a painter, illustrator and also did fashion illustrations for Gazette du Bon Ton. The colour wood engraving was a medium which Siméon made his special province. One of 130 numbered copies, out of a total edition of 150, on vélin d'Arches, signed by the artist, this copy with an original watercolour mounted as a frontispiece, also signed by the artist, and with an additional suite of the plates and larger illustrations printed in grey bound in at end. Heavily spotted throughout with off-setting from the illustrations. Very good in defective slipcase lacking the topstrip.