Publius Ovidius Naso (43 BCE-?17 CE)

Lot 169
09.12.2020 00:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Starting price
£ 5 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 470204
Lot 169 | Publius Ovidius Naso (43 BCE-?17 CE)
Estimate value
£ 5 000 – 8 000
Publius Ovidius Naso (43 BCE-?17 CE)

Les Metamorphoses 1767-71

OVIDIUS NASO, Publius (43 BCE-?17 CE). Les Metamorphoses, in Latin and with French translation by l'Abbé [Antoine] Banier (1673-1741). Paris: Prault for Hocherau (vol.I), Leclerc (vol.II), Delalain (vol.III), and Guillyn (vol.IV), 1767-1771.



A fine set of ‘the supreme anthology of French rococo book illustration … a high point among illustrated books of the eighteenth century’ (Ray). The imaginative and elegant illustrations were designed by the best French painters of the day and engraved under the supervision of Le Mire and Basan. They were issued separately as a suite in 1770 before being incorporated into this diglot edition with Banier’s new translation. Cohen-de Ricci 769: 'Superbe ouvrage... C'est un des plus galamment illustrés de tout le siècle.'; Ray, French 62a.



4 volumes, quarto (243 x 183mm). Parallel text in French and Latin, titles in red and black, half-titles, engraved title, 3pp. dedication, title vignettes, 30 headpieces, one full-page cul-de-lampe and 139 plates after Choffard, Boucher, Eisen, Gravelot and others by Choffard, Lemire, Basan and others (very occasional light spotting or light browning, label removed from first pastedown). Contemporary French red morocco gilt, triple fillet border on sides, gilt spine in compartments with two green morocco lettering-pieces, blue endpapers, gilt edges.

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