304
Illustrati francesi - La Fontaine, Jean de
Fables choisies, mises en vers par J. de La Fontaine. Tome premier [-quatrième]., 1775
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Information
Paris, Desaint & Saillant, Durand, 1755. In 2nd. 4 vols. vol. 1 allegorical frontispiece engraved by Dupuis and Cochin after a drawing by Oudry, portrait of Oudry engraved by Tardieu from the painting by L'Argillière, and 70 engraved plates; Vol. II 69 engraved plates; Vol. 3: 66 engraved plates; Vol. 4: 68 engraved plates, traces of mould, slight browning, some foxing, modern leather binding, author and title embossed in gold on the spine with 6 raised bands, gilt edges, marbled paper endpapers, traces of humidity, slight defects. Ex libris of Edward Montagn Stuart Grandville, Earl of Wharncliffe on the versos, ownership signature on the title page of vol. IV.
Specialist Notes
The four volumes they contain, in addition to the allegorical frontispiece and the illustrator's portrait, 275 extraordinary chalcographic plates engraved by the best engravers of the time on drawings by Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686-1755), painter, engraver, designer of porcelain and cartoons tapestry, from 1722 official painter of the "royal hunts" of Louis XV ("Peintre du Roy"). The plates were carved by Aubert, Aveline, Baquoy, Beauvais, Beauvarlet, Cars, Chedel, Chenu, Chevillet, Cochin, Cousinet (Elisabeth), Dupuis, Duret, de Fehrt, Fessard, Flipart, Floding, Gaillard, Gallimard, Lebas, Legrand , Lemire, Lempereur, Marvie, Menil, Moitte, Ouvrier, Pasquier, Pelletier, Pitre-Martenasie, Poletnich, Prévost, Radigues, Riland, Rode, Salvador, Sornique, Surugue, Tardieu, and Teucher. The realism with which the animals are portrayed, the beauty of the landscapes in the background, the liveliness of the scenes, the fineness of the details are enchanting.