(Bessa, Pancrace,)       ALMANACH DE FLORE   Ou Description De Douze Plantes Rares Des Jardins De La Malmaison; Suivie De Plusieurs Morceaux de Poésie.     &nbspParis: Chez Rosa,   (1821).          A lovely little almanach dedicated to the plants of Josephine's Malmaison illustrated with 12 hand-colored botanical plates, of which 8 are signed by Pancrace Bessa. Bessa was a pupil of Rédouté, and successor to Van Spaendonck as painter on vellum to the Paris Museum d'Histoire Naturelle. While Bessa contributed his skills as botanical artist to many large and significant works, such as Bonpland's DESCRIPTION DES PLANTES RARES CULTIVÉE A MALMAISON ET A NAVARRE and Rédouté's LES ROSES, he also contributed his botanical artistry to the period's charming gift books (such as Cortambert's LE LANGAGE DES FLEURS and Malo's small works on roses, tulips, etc.) of which this almanach is an example. The text for the work includes description, history and related poetry for roses "à l'odeur du tea," heather, peonies, camelia japonica, lupin, laurel, gentian, etc. A calendar for 1822 is included at the end along with a decoratively engraved page for each month with blank space for notes. OCLC lists only 5 copies, of which 2 are in the US.   16mo (13 x 7.2 cm); viii + (5-)172 pp. + fold-out calendar + 12 unnumbered engraved pp. for notes.            Contemporary calf with gilt-tooled framing on upper and lower covers, gilt-ruled and decorated spine very skillfully rebacked; marbled end papers with inner gilt dentelles, a.e.g.; very infrequent light foxing, plates fresh. $500.00

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