BOUVET, Joachim (1656 1730) and Pierre GIFFART (c. 1631-1723), engraver. - photo 1
BOUVET, Joachim (1656 1730) and Pierre GIFFART (c. 1631-1723), engraver. - photo 2
BOUVET, Joachim (1656 1730) and Pierre GIFFART (c. 1631-1723), engraver. - photo 3
BOUVET, Joachim (1656 1730) and Pierre GIFFART (c. 1631-1723), engraver. - photo 4

BOUVET, Joachim (1656 1730) and Pierre GIFFART (c. 1631-1723), engraver.

Starting price
£ 30 000
Auction dateClassic
13.07.2023 10:00UTC +01:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
United Kingdom, London
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 992995
Lot 135 | BOUVET, Joachim (1656 1730) and Pierre GIFFART (c. 1631-1723), engraver.
BOUVET, Joachim (1656 1730) and Pierre GIFFART (c. 1631-1723), engraver.

L’Estat present de la Chine. Paris: Pierre Giffart, 1697.

Rare first edition, finely bound in contemporary morocco with the arms of Louis XIV, the engravings beautifully hand-coloured and heightened in gold. Dedicated to the son of Louis XIV, Louis de France, Duke of Bourgogne at the time of his marriage at Versailles on 7 December 1697. The Jesuit Joachim Bouvet was sent as an envoy to China by Louis XIV in 1687, where he worked at the royal palace and was close to the Emperor Kangxi. On his return In 1697 he brought back a collection of Chinese woodblocks and paintings. The plates were created by Pierre Giffart who produced copies of the original Chinese works. They represent elegant Chinese figures dressed in traditional and ceremonial clothing, with exceptional attention to detail in the portrayal of Chinese costume in a European book; the work was unusual in its attempt to stay as close to the Chinese originals as possible. It is divided in two parts, the first of male figures and the second of female figures, respectively after a dedication to the Duc and Duchesse de Bourgogne. 'C’est une édition superbe, très exacte au point de vue de la reproduction des particularités des costumes et du dessin chinois' (Hélène Belevitch-Stankevitch, Le Goût chinois en France au temps de Louis XIV, Genève, 1970, p. 243). Bobins I, 169; Brunet I, 1189; Colas 417; Vinet 2354; Sommervogel, II, col. 55; Cordier III, 1858; Löwendahl, China illustrata nova, Supplement 1588. Not in Lipperheide or Lust.



Folio (373 x 240mm) 42 engraved plates (without the two portraits, one each of the Duke and Duchess of Bourgogne - Madame Princesse de Savoye, not engraved by Griffart and often excluded) all with beautiful contemporary hand-colouring and heightened in gold, plate six in early state before lettering (small closed tear in lower margin of plate ‘Officier de robe Mandarin du 9 Ordre', blank lower outer corner torn in first Avertissement leaf, restored, some offsetting and minor browning, a few minor marginal damp stains) Contemporary red morocco gilt, sides triple gilt ruled to a panel design, fleur de lys gilt to outer corners, arms of Louis XIV gilt stamped at centres, spine gilt with fleur de lys.





Special notice

No VAT is payable on the hammer price or the buyer's premium for this lot. Please see the VAT Symbols and Explanation section of the Conditions of Sale for further information
Place of origin:Western Europe, France, Asia, Europe
Category:Printed book
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
13.07.2023
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.