[LACE BINDING] - MOLTER (Friedrich). [Kurze... - Lot 73 - Ader

[LACE BINDING] - MOLTER (Friedrich). [Kurze Encyklopädie, oder allgemeiner Begriff der Wissenschaften: Aus dem Französischen übersetzt.] [Carlsruhe: Macklot, 1762 ]. - In-12, 159 x 96: 96 pp. - Red morocco, classically gilded lace with small irons on the flats, smooth ornamented spine, gilded inner roulette, blue tabis lining and endpapers, gilt edges (binding ca. 1780). Very nice specimen of a French lace binding made in the years 1770-1780. The harmony of the decoration and its perfect execution indicate that it was made in one of the great bookbinding workshops of this period. It can also be attributed to the Manufacture royale des Papiers rayés, some of the irons being indeed identical to those on the lace bindings of the previous batch. This attribution is not recorded and a note by Jean-Baptiste Colbert de Beaulieu glued inside attributes the binding to the Derôme workshop, which in our opinion does not seem to be the case. The binding covers a copy of Friedrich Molter's Kurze Encyklopädie, oder allgemeiner Begriff der Wissenschaften (Small Encyclopedia or General Concept of Science), published in 1762. Only the text of the book, without the introductory leaves containing the title, the epistle to Gustav Magnus von Wallbrunn (1702-1772) and the publisher's notice, is included. Another note by Colbert de Beaulieu assumes that the copy comes from the library of Queen Marie-Antoinette. There is nothing to confirm this. Beautiful copy, very well preserved, having only a small restoration to a bit. Light-coloured anchor. Provenance: Jean-Baptiste Colbert de Beaulieu, with ex-libris.