x, 64 pp., 1 leaf of vacations. 8vo (216 x 142 mm.), late 19th-cent. calf-backed marbled boards, blue morocco lettering-piece on spine. Paris: Guyot & Regnault-Delalande, 1817.

An important and rare print auction catalogue, fully priced in a contemporary hand; we locate only one copy in North America. The seller may have been François Etienne Logette, who is recorded as living on rue de Richelieu in previous years. A wealthy merchant, he put together an impressive group of prints, which this sale’s expert, Regnault-Delalande (1762-1824), has described in much greater detail than his customary catalogue entries.

The 191 lots, mostly prints, include works by Audran, Bartolozzi, N. Berghem, C. Bloemaert, Boissieu, An. Carracci, Desnoyers, Dürer, van Dyck, Earlom, Edelinck, Goltzius, Hollar, Ingouf, S. Le Clerc, Mantegna, Massard, Morghen, Nanteuil, Poilly, Potter, Rembrandt, W. Sharp, Strange, Tardieu, C. Visscher, Vivares, Wille, Woollett, etc. There are also paintings by Lantara, along with sculptures and ceramics by Bouchardon. For each print, Regnault-Delalande provides a succinct biography of the artist, the title, measurements, state (many first or avant-lettre), and comments on the item’s rarity. He also notes when he has previously sold a lot in one of his auctions. More

8 pp. 8vo (199 x 125 mm.), modern aubergine cloth, title on upper cover. Paris: Bezançon & Regnault-Delalande, 1813.

A scarce auction catalogue offering the contents of a bankrupt dealership, owned by “Blankenstein.” A chapter in a 1994 text on Franco-German relations during the French Revolution (cited below) mentions an Alexandre Guillaume Blankenstein, a converted Jew from Frankfurt, originally named Aron Levi Wetzlar, who opened a luxurious bookstore on the quai Malaquais around 1810, which then went under three years later. We know of two suites of prints published by Blankenstein. The title-page of this catalogue mentions that a judge has ordered this bankruptcy sale.

44 lots of paintings, drawings, prints, and engraved plates. Lot 35 consists of the 149 (of 179) original engraved plates used to print the famous suite known as the Cabinet Crozat (the Mariette edition of 1729-42). More

iv, [5]-25, 4, [2] pp. 8vo (227 x 139 mm.), orig. printed wrappers (spine defective), stitched as issued. Boston: J. H. Eastburn, 1833.

A very scarce exhibition catalogue consisting primarily of paintings from the collection of the early English telegraph engineer John Watkins Brett (1805-63). Most of the paintings in this exhibition were for sale, including Brett’s. In total, there were 124 Old Master and contemporary pictures, in addition to 29 miniatures listed at the end. This exhibition was one of several Brett conducted while touring the United States between 1832 and 1837 — with other stops at the American Academy of the Fine Arts... More

Woodblock (217 x 805 x 20 mm.), including carved handles.

A fine woodblock from the fourth volume (“Winter”), pages 17-20, of an early Japanese edition of this adaptation of one of the three major publications during the Ming dynasty on veterinary medicine, the Yuan Heng Liao Ma Chi [Collation of Horse Ailments] by Yu Ben Yuan and Yu Ben Heng (there is some considerable controversy regarding authorship; see Buell, May, & Ramey’s “Chinese Horse Medicine: Texts and Illustrations” in Lo & Barrett, eds., Imagining Chinese Medicine [2018], p. 316). The first Chinese edition appeared in 1608 and is considered by the above-mentioned authors... More

N.p.: [ca. 1865-67].

An attractive woodblock from a mathematical treatise, bearing seven finely executed intricate illustrations. These two leaves (i.e., four pages) represent folding leaves number 21 and 24. The obverse, no. 21, illustrates (from left to right) a three-dimensional diagram; a shogi (Japanese chess) board; a structure with a deck composed of five segments marked “1 2 4 8 16” illustrating exponential growth; and an ox carrying straws bags of rice with a rice-farmer at its side.

The block’s reverse depicts (from the lower left to right) a diagram for calculating the size of a circle; another diagram to measure distance; and a cylinder. More

Color illus. throughout. 220 unnumbered pages. Oblong 4to (222 x 305 mm.), orig. cloth covered boards, title on spine & upper cover. Brooklyn, NY: Trying to Press, 2016.

An uncommon artist’s book based on Finch’s 2015 Marfa Contemporary exhibition of the same name; printed in an edition of 500, and signed by the artist in orange pencil on the first blank leaf.

Referring to Leopold Bloom’s journey around Dublin, Finch recounts his peregrinations in New York City on 19 September 2014 through a selection of ca. 1400 Pantone color swatches. Each swatch, with adjacent text revealing what is evoked, conveys sights as mundane as gravestones... More

Above the title is the name of the actor: “Ganso Segawa Roko (or Kikunojo).” Japan: early Meiji.

A rare survival, this finely rendered example of yakusha-e (actor prints) depicts a cross-dressing kabuki actor named Segawa Roko (1693-1749), well-known for his performances of female roles. The reverse side bears two motifs, which seem to be for additional detail on the actor’s kimono. When shown vertically, on the bottom left corner of both sides is a notch called a kento, which would help with the registration of the image. Yakusha-e was one of the most popular genres of ukiyo-e prints.

The artist and carver are unknown, however we find the carved seal of Wakai Kenzaburo (or Kanesaburo) (1834-1908), the art dealer and business partner of Hayashi Tadamasa. Kenzaburo became one of the principal exporters of Japanese art and curiosities to Europe. More

Various formats and sizes. [Japan]: ca. 1787-96.

The Ogasawara School, founded in the 12th century, laid the foundations of etiquette for the aristocratic and samurai classes throughout Japan for many centuries. The school specialized in teaching horsemanship, archery, mounted archery, and samurai etiquette, on and off the battlefield. Over the centuries, the school transitioned itself to focus on a system of courtly manners, along with skills in archery for ceremonial rituals. The school continues today, supervised by the 31st generation leader, Kiyotada Ogasawara. The Imperial House of Japan uses Ogasawara etiquette.

This fascinating collection is made up of miniature models or samples of materials and objects required and used at formal Ogasawara events in the late 18th century, as well as a number of manuscript documents. More

Many fine brush & black ink illus. in the text. 45 folding leaves. 8vo (245 x 170 mm.), orig. wrappers (wrappers somewhat soiled), old stitching. [Japan]: at end in trans.: “copied in 1807.”

We learn from the first leaf of the index at the beginning of this manuscript that this is a later copy of a unpublished manuscript by Hori (1725-62), a native of Kyoto, whose father was also a prominent physician. Hori began to lecture in 1758 but died early.

In this work, Hori provides a guide to finding pressure points for acupuncture based on bone measurement. Using bone length measurement for the measurement of... More

Nine folding leaves. 8vo (207 x 145 mm.), orig. wrappers (a little worn & frayed), new stitching. [Japan]: from the first & final page in trans.: “Information provided by Asaemon Shimizu near Imabari Castle [in today’s Ehime Prefecture]…on an auspicious day in September 1796.”

This rather slight manuscript is of considerable interest, as it lists 35 medical conditions, along with names of pressure points and methods of treatment. These illnesses include heart disease, skin problems, tumors, dental matters, throat and lung diseases, intestinal problems, reproductive issues, communicable diseases like cholera and gonorrhea, obstetrical problems, and diseases of children. There is an interesting section... More

Two full-page brush & black ink illus. of the human body, front & back, with names of pressure points. 36 folding leaves. 8vo (247 x 172), orig. wrappers (wrappers rather worn & wormed, recased), new stitching. [Japan: late Edo].

Our manuscript is arranged by section of the body from head to foot, with a listing of about 120 pressure points and their meridians, allied organs, and related illnesses. There are precise instructions on how to locate each pressure point by measurement.

At the end is a list of 45 pressure points that should not be touched, followed by two full-page images of the body, front and back... More

Eight vols. 8vo, orig. wrappers, modern stitching. [China]: Ping hua shu wu, 1845.

A rare edition. These two works, issued and sold together, were also part of a larger edition — Ping hua shu wu yi xue cong shu (1845-47) — of the writings of Ang Wang (1615-94). These works were first published in the 1680s and ‘90s and enjoyed great popularity for several centuries, due to their clearness and brevity. Like our edition, the two first editions were issued without illustrations (see Zheng Jinsheng, “Observational Drawing and Fine Art in Chinese Materia Medica Illustration” in Lo & Barrett, eds., Imagining... More