Discours admirables, de la nature des eaux et fonteines, tant naturelles qu’artificielles, des metaux, des sels & salines, des pierres, des terres, du feu & des emaux - photo 1
Discours admirables, de la nature des eaux et fonteines, tant naturelles qu’artificielles, des metaux, des sels & salines, des pierres, des terres, du feu & des emaux - photo 2
Discours admirables, de la nature des eaux et fonteines, tant naturelles qu’artificielles, des metaux, des sels & salines, des pierres, des terres, du feu & des emaux - photo 3
Discours admirables, de la nature des eaux et fonteines, tant naturelles qu’artificielles, des metaux, des sels & salines, des pierres, des terres, du feu & des emaux - photo 4

Discours admirables, de la nature des eaux et fonteines, tant naturelles qu’artificielles, des metaux, des sels & salines, des pierres, des terres, du feu & des emaux

Starting price
$ 100
Auction dateClassic
19.10.2023 10:00UTC -04:00
Auctioneer
CHRISTIE'S
Event location
USA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1032754
Lot 102 | Discours admirables, de la nature des eaux et fonteines, tant naturelles qu’artificielles, des metaux, des sels & salines, des pierres, des terres, du feu & des emaux
Bernard PALISSY (c.1510-c.1589). Discours admirables, de la nature des eaux et fonteines, tant naturelles qu’artificielles, des metaux, des sels & salines, des pierres, des terres, du feu & des emaux. Avec plusieurs autres excellens secrets des choses naturelles. Paris: Martin le Jeune, 1580.

An unpressed and unrestored copy of the first edition, in its original binding, of Palissy's most important work: his rare dialogic treatise on mineralogy, geology, and the chemical processes of the arts including glassmaking, ceramics, and enamelling. Bernard Palissy was a self-taught artist and Protestant agitator who is most famous now for his astonishing lead-glazed ceramics which teem with animal forms cast from life. After glimpsing the entrancing perfection of a white enamel cup in 1540 (possibly Chinese porcelain), he took his family to the brink of poverty and himself to the edge of madness in pursuit of the chemical secrets which would allow him to make his own.

Although never able to replicate what he had seen, his experiments led him to both the work would make him a favorite of even the Catholic nobility as well as an intimate knowledge of the chemical compositions of the mineral world. The present treatise is an expression of these discoveries in the form of a dialogue between "Theory" and "Practice." In it, he addresses an incredible array of topics, from ceramic techniques, metallurgy, and chemistry to hydrology, geology, and fossils—including a persistent and idiosyncratic obsession with the process of petrification, which he viewed as akin to the potter's art.

"There is little doubt that Palissy was probably one of the first men in France to teach natural sciences from facts, specimens, and demonstrations rather than hypotheses" (DSB). Despite having no formal education, many of the conclusions Palissy drew from his experimentations were ahead of their time. He correctly identified fossils as the remains of ancient life; "he was one of the few men of his century to have a correct notion of the origins of rivers and streams, and he stated it forcefully, denying categorically that rivers can have any source other than rainfall … his classification of salts was nearly correct; and he suggested the concept of superposition for the development of sedimentary rocks" (DSB). Although he rails against alchemists in the present text for their hubris and incorrect ideas, he would claim on his deathbed to have discovered the philosopher's stone. Duveen p 446 ("A book of great importance in the history of chemistry and science generally ... Extremely rare"); Norman 1629. For more on Palissy's theories of petrification and art, see William Newman, Promethean Ambitions (2005).

Octavo (160 x 110mm). Woodcut headpieces and initials (some faint waterstaining at margins). Contemporary limp vellum wrapper (wrapper separating from text block, but sewing sturdy, lacking ties). Custom box. Provenance: various older shelf marks and bibliographic notes, remains of wax seal on title).
Artist:Bernard Palissy (1510 - 1589)
Place of origin:France
Auction house category:Medicine & science, Printed books
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
20 Rockefeller Plaza
10020 New York
USA
Preview
14.10.2023 10:00 – 17:00
15.10.2023 13:00 – 17:00
16.10.2023 10:00 – 17:00
17.10.2023 10:00 – 17:00
18.10.2023 10:00 – 17:00
Phone +1 212 636 2000
Fax +1 212 636 4930
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Shipping Postal service
Courier service
pickup by yourself
Payment methods Wire Transfer
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 09:30 – 17:00   
Tu 09:30 – 17:00   
We 09:30 – 17:00   
Th 09:30 – 17:00   
Fr 09:30 – 17:00   
Sa closed
Su closed

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.