[PERRAULT (Charles)]. - Lot 89

Lot n° 89
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Estimation :
5000 - 6000 EUR
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Result : 7 000EUR
[PERRAULT (Charles)]. - Lot 89
[PERRAULT (Charles)]. Labyrinte de Versailles. Paris : royal printing house, 1679. - In-8, 210 x 131 : 34 pp, (3 ff. last blank), 79 pp, (2 ff.). - Red morocco, double framed with three gilt fillets, gilt crowned figures in the corners and gilt arms in the center of the boards, spine decorated with a repeated crowned figure, gilt inner border, gilt edges (period binding). Second edition of this very beautiful work from the presses of the royal printing house, first published in 1677 in the collection of the King's Cabinet. This book refers to the Labyrinth grove of Versailles laid out by André Le Nôtre from 1668 on an idea of Charles Perrault who was then in charge of defining the iconography of the royal artistic programs. Thirty-eight fountains were built between 1672 and 1674, all decorated with animal sculptures, rocaille and shells, made from drawings by Charles Le Brun, illustrating an episode from Aesop's fables. A 39th will be added later. It is to make known to the greatest number of people this luxurious grove that Perrault had this work published in 1677 and then in 1679. It consists of a description of the labyrinth and of each fountain, with a short narration of the fable represented. Following are 41 full-page illustrations, engraved by Sébastien Leclerc, representing a plan of the labyrinth, a view of its entrance and the 39 fountains, the latter accompanied by quatrains composed by Isaac de Benserade from Aesop's fables to caption them. COPY IN MOROCCO WITH THE FIGURES AND ARMS OF LOUIS XIV. A very well preserved copy in spite of some skilful and discreet restorations to the binding. Scattered foxing.
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