Rare book, Histoire du Gentil Seigneur de Bayard – Le Loyal Serviteur, Paris,1882.

Rare book, Histoire du Gentil Seigneur de Bayard – Le Loyal Serviteur, Paris: Librairie Hachette et Cie, 1882. A magnificent late-19th-century deluxe edition of the celebrated Histoire du Gentil Seigneur de Bayard, recounting the chivalric life of Pierre du Terrail, Seigneur de Bayard (1476–1524), “the knight without fear and without reproach.” Edited by Loredan Larchey, this richly illustrated volume includes 5 chromolithographic plates, 3 decorative title pages, 1 map, 34 large engravings, and 157 in-text woodcuts, many after artists such as Detaille, Job, Taylor, and Flameng. Superb publisher’s morocco binding in vibrant red and black leather, lavishly decorated with gilt armorial devices, floral borders, and heraldic sword motifs. All edges gilt. An outstanding example of French Romantic revival book design, celebrating medieval valor and the artistic grandeur of Hachette’s fin-de-siècle deluxe editions. Condition: Excellent, light rubbing to corners, interior clean and bright. Dimensions: 29 × 22 cm