STELLA PEREGRINA

Marc, Franz (German, 1880-1916). STELLA PEREGRINA. FranzHanffstaengl, Munich, 1917. 1st edition. Number 25 of the limited edition of 110. Folio, parchment-backed marbled boards, text including an Introductory essay on Marc by Hermann Bahr, and eighteen poems written or translated by then contemporary German poets, each printed on a full sheet, and each accompanied by an illustration by Marc tipped onto a fullsheet of colored paper. The 18 plates are facsimiles after originals by Marc, handcolored by Annette von Eckardt. Poets include Emil, Prince of Schoenaich-Carolath (3), Gustav Renner, Margarete Susman, Hans Bethge (3), Ludwig Jacobowski, Wilhem Wackernagel, Richard Dehmel, Carmen Sylva, Irene von Forbes-Mosse, and Gustav Falke. The poems were selected by Marc, and he worked on the illustrations between 1904 and 1909. Marc was killed in World War I, and this book was published the following year. Light wear at the edges and corners of the boards, and occasional light sptting or foxing, else a very nice copy of this scarce book (OCLC locates 23 copies). . Marc is a leading figure among the German Expressionists of the early 20th Century, known for his paintings and his prints. Together with Kandinsky he was one of the founders of Der Blaue Reiter group. During 1904-1907, at the time he worked on the illustrations for Stella Peregrina, he is known to have suffered from severe depression. In 1907 he traveled to Paris where he was exposed to the work of Gauguin, Matisse, the Cubists and other contemporary influences. Carmen Sylva was the literary name of Princess Elisabeth of Wied, 1843-1916, who became Queen of Romania; Prince Emil, 1852-1908 was an essayist and poet, Hans Bethge, 1876-1946, is best known for his translations of Chinese Tang poetry, some of which were used by Gustav Mahler in Das Lied von der Erde; he was also an aviator for Germany in WWI.