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an old drawing of a building with a clock on top of itan old book sitting on top of a table next to a white backgroundan old book with a black and white title on itan open book with a picture of a man and a dog on itan old drawing of a boat with a rope hanging from it ' s side
Premium Maître Paul PASTAUD

68 - PERRAULT (Pierre & Claude). Works on Physics and Mechanics. …
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Estimate €400 - €500
Sale commission
Description
PERRAULT (Pierre & Claude). Works on Physics and Mechanics. Amsterdam, Bernard, 1727. 2 volumes in-4, in havana calfskin, decorated ribbed spine, title and volume number labels, red edges (contemporary binding). Caps and corners worn, a few scuffs. A rare second edition of the works of Pierre and Claude Perrault, brothers of the famous storyteller. It is illustrated with a portrait of Claude Perrault, 17 fold-out plates outside the text, and 31 figures engraved on copper and 1 on wood within the text. The text pages in the first volume are slightly discoloured; the second volume has scattered foxing and a few pinholes. After a career as a clerk under Colbert and subsequently as Receiver-General of Finances for Paris, Pierre Perrault devoted himself to scientific research and published in 1674 *De l’origine des fontaines* (*On the Origin of Springs*), a seminal work in modern hydrology in which he demonstrated that rainfall is sufficient to feed rivers, thereby refuting earlier theories that springs originated from the sea via underground channels. His brother Claude Perrault, a founding member of the Royal Academy of Sciences in 1666, enjoyed a distinguished career as a physician, anatomist, physicist and architect. The author of important works on natural history, he also contributed to several major achievements in French architecture, including the famous colonnade of the Louvre and the Paris Observatory. As an inventor and engineer, he was also interested in mechanics and ballistics. The work of these two scholars illustrates the diversity of scientific research carried out in France during the reign of Louis XIV, ranging from the study of natural phenomena to technical and architectural applications.
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About the sale MONTIGNAC – 31st BOOK SALE – Day 1 of 4 – Nos. 1 to 549
Auction location
Auction time 08/19/2026 at 11:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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