1 / 7
an old book with a drawing of a man in a red outfitan old drawing of a cannon and a cannon on displayan old map of the battle of waterloo in the middle of the english civil waran old book sitting on top of a white table next to a white wallan old book with a picture of a man in a dressa picture of a man in a yellow uniform holding a swordan old book with a drawing of a man on a horse drawn carriage
Premium Maître Paul PASTAUD

751 - SAXE (Maurice, Count of). My Musings. A posthumous work by M…
See original version (French)

Estimate €900 - €1,000
Sale commission
Description
SAXE (Maurice, Count of). My Musings. A posthumous work by Maurice, Count of Saxe, Duke of Courland and Semigallia, Field Marshal of the armies of His Most Christian Majesty. Expanded to include an abridged account of his life, and various other pieces. […] Published in Amsterdam and Leipzig by Arkstée & Merkus, and available in Paris from Desaint and Saillant, Durand, 1757. 2 volumes in-4 (289 x 215 mm), 5 unnumbered folios, CXXXIV pp., 1 unnumbered folio, 159 pp.; 2 unnumbered folios, 259 pp., glazed fawn calfskin, decorated ribbed spine, brown title label and lemon-coloured volume number, framed by a triple gilt border, gilt edges (contemporary binding). Edited by Abbé Gabriel-Louis Pérau, this edition is the first to be strictly faithful to the original manuscript of 1740. The text is accompanied by an extensive biography of the victor of Fontenoy, supporting documents and the author’s *Reflections on the Propagation of the Human Race*. The edition published a year earlier by Zacharie Pazzi de Bonneville contained only 40 plates. The illustrations consist of a portrait of the author and 84 fine plates depicting military uniforms and tactical diagrams. 81 of these were coloured at the time. Most of the plates, which are fold-out, were engraved on copper under the supervision of the architect Pierre Patte, based on the author’s drawings. They detail the positions and movements of troops, tactical diagrams, fortifications, artillery pieces, as well as designs for flags and standards. Published posthumously, *Mes rêveries* constitutes, in a sense, the military testament of Count Maurice of Saxony (1696–1750). The work offers a highly personal reflection on various aspects of warfare: recruitment, uniforms, the maintenance and training of troops, the coordination of infantry and cavalry, fortifications and entrenchments, terrain analysis, and so on. Combining a vivid imagination with practical sense, the Count of Saxony also proposes some astonishing innovations, including a wheeled musket known as an ‘amusette’, a uniform enabling soldiers to run faster, and new equestrian equipment. A fine copy of this classic work on military art, bound in a contemporary binding. (Brunet, V, col. 174; Cohen, col. 942–943 erroneously states 94 plates).
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
About the sale MONTIGNAC – 31st BOOK SALE – Day 2 of 4 – Nos. 550 to 1084
Auction location
Auction time 08/20/2026 at 11:00 AM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like