BAC, Ferdinand.   LES COLOMBIERES.   Ses Jardins Et Ses Décors.     &nbspParis: Louis Conard,   (1925).          First edition. One of 750 copies. Situated in the hills above Menton on the French Riviera, the gardens created by Ferdinand Bac at Les Colombières were his greatest achievement as a garden designer. His plan was to create a series of garden rooms evoking the spirit of early Italian, Hispanic and Oriental landscapes and architecture (see Racine, Michel et. al., THE GARDENS OF PROVENCE AND THE FRENCH RIVIERA, p. 112). Exotic and picturesque garden structures punctuate the dramatic site, and cypresses are used in a variety of ways to frame vistas and help form the internal structure of the landscape. Bac's first and greatest contemporary fame was as a book illustrator, and the two-color illustrations which he has drawn to depict his gardens are wonderfully romantic, evocative and unique in style among published illustrations for gardens.   4to (27.5 x 22.3 cm); (iii) + iv + 98 pp. with 7 text illustrations + 55 color plates.            Original printed paper wraps; book plate on half-title (producing small adhesion tear); previous owner's name in ink on verso of front cover. $650.00

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