Paul CLAUDEL. The Announcement to Mary. Mystery in 4 acts an - Lot 18

Paul CLAUDEL. The Announcement to Mary. Mystery in 4 acts and a prologue. Paris, Blaizot, 1926-1940. White box, boards decorated in the center with a gilt filleted star from which multiple uneven, gilt, radiating fillets emerge, smooth spine decorated with gilt fillets, framed in the same box with reminder of the decoration, light blue suede lining and endpapers, gilt edges on witnesses, cover and spine, half-box folder with overlaps, slipcase (Cretté). Monod, I-2823 /// 286-(1f.). First edition illustrated with 36 wood-engraved compositions by Maurice Denis, by Jacques Beltrand. In all, a frontispiece, a title vignette, 10 full pages, 19 in the text and 5 culs-de-lampe. Edition of 201 copies on Arches vellum, this one of 25 containing a separate suite of the woodblock color decomposition (no. 12). The suite is contained in a separate volume bound in white half-box. A very fine copy, in a radiant binding by Cretté. The volume has a small, pale stain on the front cover, and 7 leaves are pitted. The suite volume has discoloration on the spine, 3 pitted leaves and soiling in the margins of half the leaves.