GAUTIER, Theophile. Le Roman de la Momie.

(Paris): A & G Mornay Editeurs, 1929.  First edition thus.  Softcover.  25.5cm by 20cm.  325 pages.  Originally published in 1857 the novel is a richly imagined romantic tale steeped in 19th-century Egyptomania. Written during the height of the European fascination with ancient Egypt, the novel follows Lord Evandale, an English archaeologist, as he uncovers the tomb of Tahoser, a beautiful high priestess entombed with all the grandeur of a royal. Through the discovery of a papyrus scroll buried with the mummy, Gautier unfolds a vivid backstory that reads like a romantic epic—complete with forbidden love, court intrigue, and tragic fate in the twilight of ancient Thebes.  This edition illustrated by George Barbier with 36 compositions in colour after Barbier including the printed wrappers, title-page and vignette, printed on wood by Gasperini —executed in vibrant pochoir— the images evoke the splendor of ancient Egypt as imagined through the lens of 1920s Parisian elegance. Barbier’s figures are elongated, adorned in diaphanous robes and golden accoutrements, marrying the classical and the decadent in a uniquely modern vision.  This a good copy in original illustrated wrappers, small loss to base of spine, light foxed throughout, pages partially uncut and in various sizes.  This copy not numbered but this presumably one of 67 copies on Japon (as noted on the spine) with an additional suite in smaller wrappers, imitating the cover including 34 addtional plates on sheets measuring measuring 20cm by 15cm.