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Souvenirs de Mme de Pontalby — 1880 French Saint-Cyr Memoir in Pictorial Cartonnage
Souvenirs de Mme de Pontalby — 1880 French Saint-Cyr Memoir in Pictorial Cartonnage
Souvenirs de Mme de Pontalby — 1880 French Saint-Cyr Memoir in Pictorial Cartonnage
Souvenirs de Mme de Pontalby — 1880 French Saint-Cyr Memoir in Pictorial Cartonnage
Souvenirs de Mme de Pontalby — 1880 French Saint-Cyr Memoir in Pictorial Cartonnage
Souvenirs de Mme de Pontalby — 1880 French Saint-Cyr Memoir in Pictorial Cartonnage
Souvenirs de Mme de Pontalby — 1880 French Saint-Cyr Memoir in Pictorial Cartonnage
Souvenirs de Mme de Pontalby — 1880 French Saint-Cyr Memoir in Pictorial Cartonnage
Souvenirs de Mme de Pontalby — 1880 French Saint-Cyr Memoir in Pictorial Cartonnage
Souvenirs de Mme de Pontalby — 1880 French Saint-Cyr Memoir in Pictorial Cartonnage
Souvenirs de Mme de Pontalby — 1880 French Saint-Cyr Memoir in Pictorial Cartonnage
Souvenirs de Mme de Pontalby — 1880 French Saint-Cyr Memoir in Pictorial Cartonnage
$275.00

Souvenirs de Mme de Pontalby — 1880 French Saint-Cyr Memoir in Pictorial Cartonnage

A beautiful 1880 French memoir, Souvenirs de Mme de Pontalby, dernière survivante des demoiselles de la Maison Royale de Saint-Cyr, collected and published by Fr. Joubert. Issued in Tours by Alfred Mame et Fils, this work preserves the recollections of Marie-Élisabeth de Pontalby, associated with the historic Maison Royale de Saint-Cyr, the school for young noblewomen founded by Madame de Maintenon.

Ivory, pink and gilt cartonnage with ornate gilt scrollwork and floral ornament surrounding a delicate pictorial panel of two women in an idyllic landscape. The rear board carries a coordinating floral design, and the volume opens with an engraved frontispiece of Madame de Maintenon at Saint-Cyr.

Binding tight. A small bump/indentation is present along the top edge of front board ans seen in photo. A very attractive, well-preserved example overall.

This is a quintessential example of French decorative publishing in the mid-19th century — combining literary charm with elaborate gilt artistry. Such bindings were often produced as treasured gift books, making them highly sought after by collectors of cartonnage and fine French literature.

Size: 4 1/2” x 7 1/4”

A wonderful nineteenth-century French cartonnage volume for a collection centered on women’s history, French education, Saint-Cyr, or decorative bindings.

 

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