The Venetian Initiation

LIMITED EDITION of 120 copies on vellum, this one printed for the illustrator Georges Lepape.UNIQUE COPY, enhanced with:

- 2 original pencil drawings heightened with watercolor, signed by the artist, including one full-page, previously unpublished.- Part of the editorial dummy, consisting of 19 leaves and adorned with 11 watercolor pencil initials and 19 pencil sketches by Lepape, most of them watercolored, including 7 full-page.- An additional composition at the end, illustrating the list of the committee of the Société des Amis des Livres (3 ff.).

Georges Lepape (1887-1971) first exhibited at the Salon d'Automne in 1910. On this occasion, he met Paul Poiret, who was looking for a new illustrator, capable like Paul Iribe withLes Robes de Paul Poiret racontées par Paul Iribe in 1908, of creating a luxurious album presenting his collections. Thus, in 1911, he publishedLes Choses de Paul Poiret… vues par Georges Lepape. Lepape then became an essential illustrator, recognized by the press. Between 1912 and 1925, he collaborated, with his stencil plates, on all issues of theGazette du Bon Ton. Other newspapers sought him out, such asFemina, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, L'Illustration…The American publisher Condé Nast invited him to New York and offered to publish his illustrations inVogue, a real turning point in his career. A precursor of the clear line, he was influenced by Orientalism, Persian miniatures, and Russian ballets.