34 painted scenes, using brush and colors, on 136 pages. Text written in a very legible hand. 29; 23; 22; 21; 25; 28; 20; 32; 21; 21 folding leaves. Ten vols. 8vo (265 x 185 mm.), orig. wrappers, new stitching. [Japan: ca. 1811 or shortly thereafter].

This very beautiful manuscript depicts and describes the famous “Seven Hot Springs at Hakone” and surrounding mountainous landscapes. These spas, and the beautiful landscapes in which they are located, have been known and enjoyed since the 12th century; they play an important role in the cultural and artistic imagination of the Japanese. The waters are also considered to have important medicinal qualities.

Our superbly illustrated manuscript is one of several early copies (there is another in the National Diet Library), probably derived from a scroll of “Shichito no shiori.” They served as pictorial guides to the seven main hot springs (onsen) of Hakone. The author of the text was Roka Sanjin, and the whole work was edited by Bunso Shujin, both of whom have furnished Prefaces in the first volume. There follows an index for all ten volumes. A history of onsen is provided with discussions of their medical benefits. More

x, 69 pp. Small 8vo (165 x 105 mm.), late 19th-century brown morocco-backed marbled boards (head of spine chipped), spine gilt. Paris: Didot l’aîné, 1766.

The uncommon auction catalogue, fully priced and with many buyers’ names written throughout in a contemporary hand, of the wide-ranging collection (or stock?) of the famed portraitist, peintre du roi, and close friend of Chardin. According to Patrick Michel, Aved (1702-66) was one of the most well-known examples of an artist with a sideline as a dealer; the Académie de Saint-Luc accused him of “the illegal practice of selling and disloyal competition.” The Baron von Grimm wrote... More

88 fine double-page woodcuts. 34; 31; 37 folding leaves. Three vols. Large 8vo (295 x 198 mm.), orig. wrappers, orig. block-printed title labels on upper covers (each label partly defective), new stitching. Edo: [privately printed by “Shohakudo,” the pen name of Juan Kawamura], 1804.

First edition and very rare; the reprints are far more common (for instance, the BM has only the 1812 edition). Buncho (1763-1840), was considered in his day to be one of the two greatest painters in Edo; he mastered several styles of painting including nanga (Chinese), Western (he travelled to Nagasaki to learn Western techniques, especially perspective and shading methods), and Japanese idioms... More

Nine full-page, one four-page, & 30 double-page illus. on 38 folding leaves. 8vo (280 x 204 mm.), orig. wrappers (wrappers a little soiled), orig. stitching. [Japan: late Edo].

This fine album of botanical paintings of very high quality was clearly prepared as the final illustrations for a book publication: all the drawings are framed within red-ruled borders. We have not been able to identify the printed book.

Some of the images make use of fine, even outlines, but the emphasis is on color. Often the color is applied in the so-called “boneless” (mokkotsu) method, i.e., without ink outlines, relying entirely on color. Both the outline-and-color... More

Five full-page woodcuts, woodcuts in the text, & one full-page diagram. 39 folding leaves. 8vo, orig. wrappers (a little tired & rubbed, minor soiling), orig. block-printed title label on spine, new stitching. Kyoto: privately printed before ca. 1640.

An early and extremely rare edition, privately printed with movable type, of the foundation work of Japanese flower arrangement (ikebana or kado). We find no copy of any early edition outside of Japan.

With the introduction of Buddhism to Japan in the 6th century, the custom of offering flowers on the Buddhist altar became common. Ikebana developed through the process of experimentation with new approaches and... More

6 p.l., iv, 120, [4] pp. Small 4to (205 x 145 mm.), cont. vellum over boards. Barcelona: Compañía de Jordi, Roca, y Gaspár, 1803.

First edition, and very rare, of a practical treatise on successful business practices. Coll y Alsina (active early 19th cent.), a businessman in the Maresme region near Barcelona, dedicates this work to his son and addresses him throughout the text. The author advises him on all the steps in the formation and running of a business, by presenting templates for the founding charter, appointment of directors, establishment of bylaws, the purchase of land, insurance, etc. Each section is followed... More

22 pp., 1 leaf of “Approbation.” Small 8vo (160 x 95 mm.), 19th-century calf-backed marbled boards (joints a little rubbed), red morocco lettering-piece on spine. Paris: Prault & Barrois, 1748.

A rare sale catalogue of the Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Gallic antiquities amassed by Valois (1671-1747), an early connoisseur of ancient objects, who was named antiquaire du roi. This was one of Gersaint’s final sales.

“Valois was the son and nephew of great 17th-century scholars, Adrien and Henri de Valois; antiquary of the king and pensionnaire de l’Académie des inscriptions, he accumulated sculptures, ancient bronze and more than 6000 medals, many from the age of... More

23 pp. 8vo (215 x 140 mm.), late 19th-century marbled boards, brown leather lettering-piece on spine. Paris: Me. Poquereau [sic.] & Joullain, 1778.

A very rare sale catalogue with no copy represented in North American institutional collections. The owner of this collection may have been Nicolas Le Sueur (1691-1764), the son of Pierre Le Sueur II. This catalogue describes 171 lots, mostly consisting of prints executed after famous paintings. The first three lots are “tableaux à gouache.” The prints include the works of Choffard, Woollett, Boullanger, Wille, P. Le Bas, Moreau, Strange, N. Porporati, A. Zingg, J. J. Flipart, etc.

A fine, wide-margined copy of this rare catalogue. Engraved bookplate of the Parisian art dealer Georges Pannier (1853-1944), and stamp of the Bibliothèque Heim on the verso of title. More

36 pp. 8vo, late 19th-century green morocco-backed marbled boards (extremities a little worn), title on spine. Paris: Joullain, 1775.

A rare sale catalogue describing an impressive group of paintings. Lassay (1652-1738), known as the “Don Juan du Grand Siècle” due to his dissipated personal life, was a man of letters and supporter of the libertines. His son, Léon de Madaillan, the comte de Lassay (1683-1750), commissioned the construction of the Hôtel de Lassay, now the residence of the president of the Assemblée nationale. Charlotte Guichard has written that unscrupulous experts continued to employ the Lassay family name to promote sales decades after... More

28 pp. 8vo (215 x 140 mm.), late 19th-century red cloth, title on spine. Paris: Fournier, Folliot & Delalande, 1789.

A rare sale catalogue with no copy in American institutional collections. Courval, vicomte d’Anizy (d. 1788), conseiller of Parlement, amassed a choice group of paintings and prints. This catalogue describes 127 lots, including 51 lots of paintings (by Carracci, Molenaer, Vignon, Hubert Robert, Licherie, Ferret, etc.), four lots of drawings, 52 lots of prints, seven lots of porcelain, ten lots of sculpture, and three miscellaneous group lots. A note at the end of the catalogue advertises the sale of Courval’s arms, jewelry, clocks, snuffboxes, desk... More

Woodcut vignette on title. 24 pp. 8vo (200 x 125 mm.), late 19th-century stiff marbled boards (spine a little rubbed), brown morocco lettering-piece on spine. Paris: C. Ballard, 1758.

A rare early sale catalogue of drawings and prints compiled by Basan (1723-97), one of the leading experts of the mid-18th century. Divided by vacation, the catalogue concisely describes 199 group lots, some quite large. Each section concludes with a portefeuille.

Very good copy. Engraved bookplate of G[eorges] P[annier] (1853-1944), the Parisian art dealer and collector, and stamp of the Bibliothèque Heim on verso of title. Contemporary manuscript correction on p. 7. More

One double-page woodcut & two single-page woodcuts. 18 folding leaves. 8vo, orig. blue wrappers (rather faded & tired, some repaired worming to the text touching a few letters), orig. block-printed title label on upper cover (label faded), new stitching. Kyoto & Edo: Jishudo, 1849.

Following the general introduction of vaccination by Edward Jenner, the practice spread widely, and it was warmly received by the Chinese. The first tract on vaccination in China was prepared by Alexander Pearson, a surgeon to the East India Company, and was based on Jenner’s books. It was translated into Chinese by Sir George Staunton and published in Canton in 1805... More