DE LÉOTARD, Geneviève, bookbinder. COLETTE. ~ Sept Dialogues de Bêtes.
No. 8 of 40 copies printed on Annam paper (a kind of japon), of a total edition of 590. Illustrated with 50 drawings reproduced in the text and 7 original lithographs by Jean Pavie. This copy is unique with 4 original drawings for the book bound in and with guide sheets showing measurements and orientation in the text. 8vo., bound by Geneviève de Léotard in 1928, signed on the upper turn-in, in full brown morocco with mosaic design at the bottom of the upper cover reflected at the top of the lower side and on the spine of triangular tooth like pattern of onlaid chestnut brown and light brown, with six gilt and black fillets following the triangular pattern, spine lettered in gilt, turn-ins with four gilt and blind fillets highlighted in black with an inner border of purple morocco and a strip of chestnut and brown calf at the bottom and top edges of the upper and lower turn-ins respectively, rich brown watered silk doublures with an inner marbled flyleaves of delicious browns, gold and palladian, all edges gilt. Housed in the original matching brown morocco edges slipcase covered in the marbled paper seen on the endpapers. Spine with some wear adn rubbing.
Geneviève de Léotard 1899 was a precocious book artist. She began studying bookbinding at the Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in Paris in 1912 when she was only 12, with an emphasis on gilding. On graduation she worked with Pierre Legrain, as did many of the great women binders, becoming an independent binder in 1925. In 1927 she won the Prix Blumenthal and then became a teacher at her alma mater, teaching many of the next generation of binders, including probably Lucette Levy whose bindings are shown in this catalogue. De Leotard was adventurous and rather avant-garde in her choice of materials, often mixing different skins and shades with perfect subtlety, and her strong linear, geometric style. Her graphic style was very crisp and her immaculate gilding and design skills were much appreciated by the bibliophiles of her time.