SANDEAU (Jules), Mademoiselle de La Seiglière. - Lot 274

SANDEAU (Jules), Mademoiselle de La Seiglière. Illustrations by Émile Bayard. Paris, J. Hetzel & Co., publishers. Large 8vo, the publisher’s polychrome cardboard binding known as “aux bambous,” blue in color, richly decorated in gold and black, with gilt edges. A very attractive illustrated edition of one of the most famous novels by Jules Sandeau (1811–1883), a member of the Académie Française and novelist whose work enjoyed immense success in the 19th century. Published in 1848, *Mademoiselle de La Seiglière* is considered his masterpiece and remains one of the most representative novels of social fiction during the July Monarchy and the Second Empire. Through a plot that blends love, class pride, and conflicts between the declining nobility and the triumphant bourgeoisie, Sandeau paints a vivid picture of French society in his time. The elegance of the style, the psychological depth of the characters, and the skillful construction of the narrative account for the enduring success of this work, which has often been adapted for the stage and has long been a staple of French family libraries. The illustrations are by Émile Bayard, one of the most renowned artists of the 19th century, famous in particular for his drawings for Victor Hugo’s *Les Misérables*. His compositions gracefully and precisely accompany the novel’s episodes, reinforcing the work’s elegant and sentimental atmosphere. This copy is bound in a remarkable Hetzel-style “bamboo” cardboard binding, attributed to the Souze firm and signed “A. Lenègre rel.” on the front cover. These polychrome bindings, emblematic of the golden age of French illustrated publishing, are today particularly sought after for the quality of their decoration and their remarkable decorative appeal. The front cover features an elegant Japanese-inspired motif combining bamboo, flowers, and gilded ornaments on a vivid blue background, characteristic of Hetzel’s productions from the 1880s. A very attractive copy in its original publisher’s binding, preserved with its gilding and decorative freshness. Minor wear on the head and foot caps and corners, without any significant impact on the overall aesthetic. A beautiful copy of a classic French romance novel, remarkable both for its illustrations by Émile Bayard and for its spectacular polychrome Hetzel binding, highly sought after by collectors of 19th-century decorative bindings.