1 / 10
Photo 1/10 du lotPhoto 2/10 du lotPhoto 3/10 du lotPhoto 4/10 du lotPhoto 5/10 du lotPhoto 6/10 du lotPhoto 7/10 du lotPhoto 8/10 du lotPhoto 9/10 du lotPhoto 10/10 du lot
Maître Jean Emmanuel PRUNIER

25 - [PROVENANCE] [BINDING] Jean de LA FONTAINE - Contes et nouve…
See original version (French)

Estimate €4,000 - €6,000
Sale commission
Description
[PROVENANCE] [BINDING] Jean de LA FONTAINE - Contes et nouvelles en vers Amsterdam (Paris) s.n. 1762 - EXCEPTIONAL EXAMPLE of this famous edition, known as the "Fermiers généraux". Magnificent slightly later bindings by Capé in full lemon morocco, large Pasdeloup-style framed decoration of interlacing, foliage and vases of flowers, ornate ribbed spines, red and green morocco parts, inner lace, gilt edges, folders and slipcases. Illustrated with a portrait of La Fontaine, by Rigaud, engraved by Ficquet, and of Eisen, after Vispré, also engraved by Ficquet; 80 hors-texte figures by Eisen, engraved by Aliamet, Baquoy, Choffard, Delafosse, Flipart, Lemire, Le veau, de Longueil and Ouvrier; 4 vignettes and 53 culs-de-lampe, by Choffard, the last of which contains his portrait. EXCEPTIONALLY ENRICHED with : - 29 pure etching proofs of the hors-texte figures. - The extremely rare complete suite, in a separate edition, of vignettes and culs-de-lampe by Choffard, which are, as is well known, among the most famous and beautiful of the 18th century. Attached to this suite are 26 additional proofs of the same vignettes, but as state proofs, almost all in pure etching. Three of them are even in triple state, one of the two additional proofs on page 268 of volume one is with engraved text, a state unknown to Cohen and Hédé-Hauÿ. - The almost complete suite of all the rejected plates, 17 of the 20 known. - 6 additional figures after Eisen again, but published separately. Enriched copies are of the greatest rarity and rightly the most sought-after, this one being comparable to those of Pixérécourt (Bibliothèque Nationale) and Renouard. Henri Beraldi, a great lover of state proofs, was only able to collect 20 etchings of the hors-texte. The copy has been covered with a modern pastiche folder with flaps and a lined slipcase to preserve it. "Among the illustrated books of the eighteenth century, this edition of the Contes de La Fontaine, known as the Fermiers Généraux edition because they paid for it, is the most beautiful and pleasant overall; it is also Eisen's masterpiece. Although it is fairly common, it is highly sought-after and expensive, especially when the proofs are first-rate and the binding is elegant and well-executed" (Cohen, 306). Provenance: From the library of Léon Rattier with his fine bookplate bearing the motto "Abbatia Janduriarum", his exceptional library is mentioned in the journal of the Goncourts.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale The Mirrors of Time-Sunday 28 June 2026
Auction location
Auction time 06/28/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like