MARIA STAR (1854-1926) ”LES LEGENDES DE VENISE“ 1909 Venice, Istituto Veneto di Arti Grafiche, 1909.

Numbered 194 from an edition 300, in folio, colourful illustrated cover, tied with red laces. Colour illustrations by Italian orientalist artist Raffaele Mainella (1856-1941). In French. Some tears to the fragile cover, well preserved inner part. Provenance: Private collection, South of France Maria Star (pseudonym of Ernesta Stern) was a French author of Italian origin. She was mostly known for her Venetian tales and novels. Mainella studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti of Naples, Italy and was inspired by his travels to Greece, Syria, Palestine and Egypt. In 1897, his rich collection of watercolours of Egypt, the Holy Land and Venice was exhibited at the International Art Exhibition in Venice and found many admirers and buyers, among which was Ernesta Stern. This book was printed in 300 copies.