ID 1032727
Lot 75 | Histoire naturelle des perroquets
Estimate value
$ 100 000 – 150 000
An outstanding copy of the first folio edition, first issue, of an exquisitely illustrated bird book, widely considered among the most beautiful of its kind—one of the glories of Napoleonic science. “After he had made himself Emperor, it was part of Napoleon’s deliberate policy to initiate a series of magnificent publications that would vie with those undertaken to the orders of Louis XIV. These were sent as presents to crowned heads, men of science, and learned bodies, in evidence of the splendours of the Empire. In this manner many glorious books came into being, and it is in this light that we should see Redouté’s Les Liliacées and his two works on the flowers of La Malmaison. The works of Levaillant owe their sumptuous character to the same impetus.” (Fine Bird Books).
Levaillant inherited a passion for observation and travel from his childhood in Dutch Guiana, where his father was the French consul. He returned to France with his family, where he eventually became a merchant of natural history specimens. At 27, he traveled to Southern Africa with the Dutch East India Company, likely sponsored by Jacob Temminck to collect specimens for his collection. Levaillant was among the first explorer-naturalists to venture into the field to see and study birds in their natural habitats, resulting in some of the finest ornithological works ever produced. He was also a pioneer of travel writing; his colorful accounts of his journeys describe him as wearing “court suits of ‘Blue-Boy’ silk, with white gloves, ostrich-plume hat, and lace ruffs” to show respect for the animals he hunted (Fine Bird Books). He writes extensively about his close relationships with African companions and condemns the Dutch for their violence against Indigenous people in the region. His work is also notable for his use of French descriptive names for birds such as La Perrouche à face bleue, as opposed to the standard binomial nomenclature introduced by Carl Linnaeus.
The artist Jacques Barraband had honed his skills as a draughtsman at the renowned Gobelins tapestry manufacturer in Paris, allowing him to create illustrations unparalleled in their delicacy and beauty. His drawings for the present work were printed in color by Langlois, the great master of French color printing in the early 19th century. The names of three of the birds described commemorate the artists involved in the production of the plates: Barraband, Langlois, and Bouquet, who executed the engravings. This copy has the title of volume one in its first state, with the date An IX (1801). Anker 303; Fine Bird Books, p.90; Zimmer, p.392.
Two volumes, folio (496 x 310mm). Half titles. 145 etched plates with original tissue guards after Jacques Barraband, printed in color and finished by hand (marginal dampstain to edges of plate 128 in vol. 2; some offsetting to text, narrow dampstain to outer margin of the final five text leaves of vol. 1). Contemporary red gilt stamped morocco signed by J.M. Jacobs of Anvers, gilt turn ins and edges, green morocco title labels on spines, green silk page markers. Provenance: 19th-century paper shelf labels ‘f B 117’ and ‘f B 118’ on upper boards, one to each volume – The Arcadian Library (bookplate; sold their sale, Christie’s 14 November 2007, lot 233).
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| Lot number | 75 |
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| Auction house | CHRISTIE'S |
| Auction date | 19.10.2023 |
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| Lot number | 75 |
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| Auction house | CHRISTIE'S |
| Auction date | 19.10.2023 |
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| Lot number | 75 |
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| Auction house | CHRISTIE'S |
| Auction date | 19.10.2023 |
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| Auction house | CHRISTIE'S |
| Auction date | 19.10.2023 |
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| Lot number | 75 |
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| Auction house | CHRISTIE'S |
| Auction date | 19.10.2023 |
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| Lot number | 75 |
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| Auction house | CHRISTIE'S |
| Auction date | 19.10.2023 |
