Storie Naturali Signed Limited edition Luigi Serafini of Codex Serafinianus

Brand new and still in its plastic wrapper. Very rare and highly collectable. Luigi Serafini, author of the renowned and mysterious Codex Seraphinianus interprets the masterpiece of Jules Renard, Natural Histories, as an herbarium, in which imaginary plants illustrate Renards stories and bring to life the leaves of a botanical fantasy. As with the Codex, in time Storie Naturali is sure to be a very rare and seductive find, appreciated for its singular beauty and imagination, and equally appreciative in value.

Serafini's work often involves the creation of parallel worlds. Whimsically humanizing the work of the French master has thus devised a new kind of invention, a whole fantastic botanical world whose leaves, printed as illustrations contained in pockets on each page that can be removed and more closely examined, form an enchanted forest of trees, animation and mutant plants a celebration of the eternal vitality of natural history. This large-format volume has a brown canvas cover on which is reproduced the original covers ofStorie Naturalias published by BUR in 1959, with the lenticular image of a fox (in French:renard). The pages are of the highest quality paper, the lyrical text, in Italian, is from Renards original book.

This fascinating book contains 20 pockets that contain the beautifully imagined herbarium leaves. At 262 pages with pockets and inserts, Storie Naturali is a limited edition of 660 copies numbered and signed by the artist, of which this copy is #113. Published by Biblioteca Universale Rizzoli, Milan, in 2009. As the book is still in its wrapper, please see below for photographs and further information.

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