Beschreibung:

SANGORSKI, ALBERTO, calligrapher and illuminator. RIVIERE & SON, binders. EDGAR ALLAN POE. The Raven and Other Poems ["The Coliseum," "To Helen," "A Dream within a Dream"], [London 1929]. 4to, binding: 311 x 254 x 25mm. (12 1/4 x 10 x 1in.), light blue levant morocco, upper cover with an onlaid brown morocco strap border between single gilt fillets enclosing a double inner border frame of onlaid black morocco strip gilt, gilt-lettered around the sides with a quotation from "The Raven," the border with knotwork corner ornaments and with a large gilt floral ornament at the upper corners, enclosing a broad panel border of swirling gilt stems and leaves with onlaid pink morocco flowers and green and pink buds, small onlaid red morocco gilt circles, in the center an oval medallion, framed in onlaid black morocco gilt strip, of the Raven perched on the bust of Pallas worked in onlaid black and fawn morocco against a background of onlaid white morocco gilt flowers and gilt leaves, an onlaid green morocco cartouche beneath the oval with gilt-lettered quotation, lower cover with similar borders, a different gilt quotation around the sides, the center with a gilt and green morocco onlaid oval morocco label lettered with Poe's initials in onlaid brown, purple and pink morocco, surmounted by an eagle of onlaid brown and purple morocco; spine in six comparments with five raised and gilt-dotted bands, gilt lettered in four compartments, a repeated gilt panel of onlaid white flowers and gilt leaf framed in onlaid black morocco gilt strip in the rest, board edges with double gilt rule, turn-ins richly gilt with a small gilt flower roll between two onlaid black morocco gilt straps, cream watered silk linings, g.e., stamp-signed on upper turn-in: "Bound by Riviere & Son," silk worn at edges , dark green straight-grained morocco gilt box lined with cream watered silk and velvet ( box with slight wear at edges ). ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT ON VELLUM, 17 leaves, including a blank leaf at front and back, written in red and black, 8 watercolor miniatures as follows: a full page portrait of Poe (120 x 91mm.) signed AS and dated 1929; full-page drawing of the reader startled by angels (160 x 116mm.), unsigned; vignette drawing of the reader disturbed (90 x 101mm.), unsigned; vignette drawing of the reader letting in the Raven (130 x 100mm.), unsigned; tailpiece vignette of the seated reader in sorrow (125 x 93mm.); full-page drawing of the Coliseum (105 x 150mm.) signed AS; full-page drawing of the "surf-tormented shore" with cliffs (135 x 100mm.) signed AS and dated 1929; full-page drawing of Poe's cottage at Fordham (123 x 100mm.) signed AS and dated 1929, the miniatures in a variety of gilt and colored frames; opening title-page in blue, red and maroon, headline titles for the three other poems in red the texts written in black ink in a gothic script with some red initials, 15 of the pages containing extravagant borders in gold and various colors, predominantly blue, purple and dark red, mostly linear with ornate endings and incorporating 23 ornamental initials in colors and gold (90 x 65mm. approximately and smaller), the decoration mainly of stylized flowers and foliage; 9 cream silk interleaf guards bound in ( edges of silk worn ); inscribed on the certificate leaf: "This manuscript...was designed, written out and illuminated by Alberto Sangorski. This manuscript will not be duplicated [signed] Alberto Sangorski." Provenance : Stanton C. Christensen (sale, Christie's New York, 8 December 1989, lot 293).