MYTHOLOGIE ASIATIC ILLUSTREE by [Bonet Paul. Binding] - 1928

Paris: Le Librairie de France, 1928. Limited edition, number 22 of 100. Beautifully illustrated with color and black and white photographs of the art and antiquities of Asian cultures. Folio, superb Art Deco binding by Paul Bonet with the original paper wraps bound in. Richly grained black morocco with the spine in Deco design incorporating finely gilt tooled multi-coloured onlays, designed titling gilt surrounded by a spray of gold, the covers with large central panel in pedestal design, surrounded by gold lines and tools, and with multi-coloured onlays tooled in gold. Gold and black marbled endpapers, t. e.g., others uncut. Housed in a black morocco backed chemise over marbled boards with black morocco edges. 432, plates A very fine copy. RARE BONET BINDING ON AN ESPECIALLY INTERESTING AND WELL ILLUSTRATED TEXT. A superb example of an Art Deco custom binding design by Paul Bonet. Bonet first rose to prominence at the auction of the library of a renowned Parisian book collector in 1930. The sale included 52 bindings of the relatively unknown designer Bonet. Book connoisseurs realized that a new genius had arisen.
Born in 1889, Bonet began to bind books as a hobby in 1920. Five years later examples of his designs were included in the exposition L’Arte Du Livre Francais and again later in the year at the Salon d’Automne. Unlike other designers, Bonet left the construction of his bindings to skilled artisans, of whom he demanded the highest standards. His early designs between 1925-1929 were in a thoroughly modern style executed in a strictly traditional manner with blind and gold tooled fillets and inlays of leather. Later he would begin to incorporate less traditional materials like metals and woods. By 1931 Bonet was firmly established as a respected leader in the world of French binding design.
Bonet and his patrons were very particular about the books they chose to bind. This limited edition was no doubt chosen for the beauty of it’s illustrations and the exotic subject matter.