La Gracieuse…

Name: La Gracieuse...
SKU: 30817

Paris, Imp. Pairault et Cie, 1896.

10 vols. (30 x 45 mm). In wrappers, embossed paper covers of various colors, titled on the spine and on the upper cover within a decorated frame. The set is housed together in a miniature glazed bookcase (100 x 140 mm) with a glass shelf, Louis XV style; boards covered in floral-patterned silk, the base covered in black embossed paper with the maker's mark printed in gilt: “La Gracieuse avec ses 10 volumes. Modèle déposé.”

Miniature editions of classic texts intended for children.

Each volume has a different colored wrapper decorated on the upper cover with a gilt medallion or frame. The complete set comprises the following titles: Aladdin ou la Lampe Merveilleuse, Ali Baba ou les Quarante Voleurs, L’Enfant Prodigue and Le Juif Errant, Fables et Allégories by Fénelon, Quelques Fables by La Fontaine, Quelques Fables de Florian, Le Neveu de la Fruitière by H. Moreau, Le Petit Chaperon Rouge et Les Fées by Perrault, Quelques Contes du Chanoine Schmid and La Morale de l’Enfance by Morel de Vindé.

“During the final years of the nineteenth century, Pairault published two remarkable series of children’s books in Paris. The first comprises 10 volumes […]; the texts are clearly intended for children and consist mainly of fairy tales and fables. These volumes can be housed in a miniature wooden bookcase specially created by the publishers. Called “La Gracieuse,” it is covered in damask sprinkled with gold thread and has a glazed door and glass shelves, in a style inspired by Louis XV.”

A magnificent example of this charming object; rare in such fine condition.

Bondy, Miniature Books, 79-80.

#30817

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