FELS (Florent). — Art and Love. - Lot 93

FELS (Florent). — Art and Love. Paris, Éditions Arc-en-Ciel, 1952. Volume I only. In-4, approximately 28 × 21.5 cm, 226 pp., publisher’s cardboard binding with a gray cloth spine, large photographic vignette pasted onto the front cover, title printed in red. Numerous black-and-white illustrations in the text and color plates pasted in as inserts. First edition of this important work by Florent Fels devoted to representations of love and eroticism in art history. The complete work was published in two volumes in 1952–1953, comprising 227 and 312 pages, respectively. This first volume covers, in particular, Magical Art, Classical Art, the Orient, Courtly Love, the Renaissance, the Grand Siècle, and the Golden Age of Gallantry. The work is richly illustrated, featuring reproductions by Botticelli, Veronese, Rembrandt, and many other artists. The commercial bibliography confirms that this volume has 226 pages and numerous black-and-white illustrations, as well as several color plates mounted on the pages. This copy bears the following old stamp on the flyleaf: “Louis David, representative, 6 quai de la Passerelle, Amiens (Somme).” The cardboard cover shows some scuffing and normal soiling from use. There is fairly extensive foxing on the endpaper, lighter and more scattered inside; a few signs of handling. The binding, however, appears sturdy, and the visible plates are well preserved.