About the cover:
Full-grain binding Dark green marocco leather, dominant decoration on both covers. Four partially cut and overlapping circular elements in blue, beige and green leather overlay are accompanied by gold lines, hand-gilt title on two spine labels, gilt head edge, hand-stitched endpapers, ribbon marker, wide inner edges with over-edge decoration and gold lines, coloured paper endpapers. Simple slipcase with leather edging and coloured paper cover.
About the content:
Prosper Mérimée: Le Carrosse du Saint-Sacrement (1 act) suivi de:
- La perle de Tolède
- Une femme est un diable
- Les âmes du purgatoire
- Le ciel et l'enfer
With illustrations by Louis Jou
Ex. No. 1 of 150
Société du livre d'art, Paris 1929 The Carriage of the Holy Sacrament: The spicy comedy is set in Lima and begins with Viceroy Ribera at his desk and his mistress Martinez. First performed in 1929 at the Théatre Clara Gazul in Paris.
About the artist: René Kieffer attended the École Estienne and learnt the craft of bookbinding from Marius Michel before setting up his own workshop in Paris in 1901. Here he produced both simple and luxurious covers, including in the Art Deco style, based on designs by Pierre Legrain for the fashion designer Jacques Doucet.
In 1909, Kieffer expanded his activities into publishing with the help of experienced publishers such as Auguste Blaizot, Georges Crès and Albert Messein. It was mainly works by classical authors that he published as luxury editions. The workshop was particularly active in the 1920s and 1940s and produced around 2,000 covers a year. In the early 1920s, he also opened a bookshop on the premises of his bookbindery. From this time onwards, Kieffer cultivated the three mutually beneficial activities: bookbinding, publishing and bookshop. He was married to Lucile Bucquet and had a son Michel, born in 1916, who also learnt bookbinding.
