Pierre de Bourdeille, usually known as Brantôme after the abbey of which he was secular abbot, fancied himself both as a soldier and as a writer, though by all accounts he was not very good as the former. Born into a family of nobles in 1537, he became a model courtier and a career soldier, but nearly always contrived to arrive too late or be in the wrong place to take an active part in the fighting. Which is maybe just as well, as he was a better writer than he was a soldier. All of his copious writings were published after his death in 1614, the best-known being Vies des dames galantes (Lives of Gallant Ladies), a collection of stories about women who used – and abused – their position to achieve their amorous goals.

This is the work that Malassis as illustrator is best known for, published at the height of the 1930s book collecting period by one of France’s most prestigious publishing houses, known for sparing no expense on materials and production.

Vies des dames galantes was produced in three volumes by Le Vasseur et Cie, Paris, in a limited numbered edition of 525 copies.

We are very grateful to our Russian friend Yuri for supplying this set of images.