DENIS (Maurice). Petites fleurs de saint François... Lot 13

DENIS (Maurice). Petites fleurs de saint François d'Assise. Paris, Jacques Beltrand, 1913. Large in-4, 35.2 x 25.2 cm, (14 pp. (6 blank, one justification, 3 blank, one faux-titre, one blank, one title, one blank)-vi-(4 pp. (another title, one blank, frontispiece, one blank)-256-(8 blank) pp, olive-green morocco, ribbed spine, eggplant morocco listel and quadruple gilt fillet framing the spine boards and compartments, rich mosaic and gilt decoration on the inside covers consisting of a repeating polychrome floral motif on a fawn background, framed by dark-green listel, gilt silk brocaded lining with stylized foliage, covers preserved, gilt edges, dark-green morocco spine and covers, lined slipcase; folder spine a little faded and rubbed, slipcase lining a little rubbed (Marius Michel). With a sequel volume, large folio, dark green half-maroquin with corners, ribbed spine, gilt edges; spine faded. ORIGINAL EDITION OF THIS FRENCH TRANSLATION by art historian and Italianist André Pératé. THE "FIORETTI". This famous anthology of the deeds of St. Francis of Assisi was first written in Latin in the 13th century (Actus beati Francisci et sociorum ejus) by two successive anonymous Friars Minor, members of the "spiritual" movement, probably at the convent of Sofiano in the Ancona area, before being translated into Tuscan before the end of the following century ("Fioretti di san Francesco"), which was widely distributed and truly acquired the status of a spiritual manual. LIMITED EDITION OF 120 NUMBERED COPIES ON VERGE DE HOLLANDE. FIRST EDITION OF BOIS GRAVES D'APRES MAURICE DENIS by Jacques Beltrand and his brothers, featuring: a full-page title-frontispiece, with framing in the text on each page, 74 historiated compositions, numerous typographical ornaments including 72 initials, and some fifteen repeating paragraph marks. SUPERB MOSAIC BOOKBINDING BY MARIUS MICHEL: the rich lining irons were specially created for copies of the Fioretti by this bookbinder for a number of bibliophiles, including Louis Barthou, René Descamps-Scrive and Étienne Vautheret. ENRICHED EXEMPLAIRE with : - ONE OF 10 DOUBLE NUMEROTED SUITES (no. 8) comprising a woodblock print on Hollande (146 plates) and a color decomposition of the woodblocks on Chine (approx. 360 plates), numbered cover preserved. - A color drawing depicting St. Francis with arms raised to Heaven (watercolor, approx. 120 x 90 mm on a vellum skin sheet), a variant of the illustration on p. 50, but depicted at mid-body and in a different hue. Provenance: Marcel De Meere (leather bookplate in main volume).