24 pp. 8vo (198 x 125 mm.), modern aubergine cloth, title on upper cover. Paris: Félix & Regnault-Delalande, 1819.

A very scarce auction catalogue marking the dissolution of Pierre Blaizot’s inventory; WorldCat records no copy in North America. Despite the lengthy interval between his death and this sale, we can identify the seller as Pierre Blaizot (1740-1808) due to the offerings in the present catalogue — prints, maps, and luxury paper — that match the description of his business on the BnF Data site. Blaizot’s page on the site notes that he was orphaned at age 9, but managed to... More

Lithograph frontis. port. of the collector. 2 p.l., 14, [2], 166 pp. 8vo, attractive antique half-calf paste-paper boards, red morocco lettering-piece on spine, spine gilt. Paris: J.S. Merlin, 1824.

The uncommon sale catalogue of Hurtault (1765-1824), Architecte du roi, member of the Institut, and inspector general of public works, who conducted significant restorations of the Tuileries and Fontainebleau. He was especially interested in English architecture — demonstrated by the numerous British books in his collection — and designed several gardens in the English style, including one at Fontainebleau.

This was one of the finest professional libraries of architecture of the... More

38 pp. 8vo (190 x 125 mm.), early 20th-cent. cloth-backed marbled boards, title on spine. Paris: Dumanoir & Paillet, 1826.

An uncommon auction catalogue describing the collection of Thibault (1757-1826), an artist and architect well-known for his vivid architectural drawings. He served as architect of the palaces at Neuilly and the Elysée, and was appointed professor of perspective at the Ecole des beaux-arts in 1819. Paillet has contributed a short biographical sketch for Thibault at the beginning of this volume.

This catalogue describes 367 lots, the majority of which consist of paintings, preparatory and finished drawings, and prints done by... More

Engraved allegorical frontis. 1 p.l., vi, 93 pp. 8vo, attractive antique calf-backed marbled boards, spine gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine. N.p.: 1751.

First edition. Bachaumont (1690-1771) was an influential noble who grew up at the court of Versailles during the height of its significance as the political and cultural nucleus of France. He frequented the salons of Paris and was entangled in several controversies, one in particular regarding a journal filled with gossip ascertained at the salon of Madame Doublet de Persan, for which he may have been partially responsible. By the end of his life, he was... More

2 p.l., 124 pp. Large 8vo, cont. red cloth-backed marbled boards, spine gilt. [Paris]: Rapilly, [1891].

[with]:

(—). Catalogue de Dessins anciens, Architecture, Décoration, Ameublement, Orfèvrerie…Dont la Vente aura lieu…les samedi 21, lundi 23, mardi 24, mercredi 25 février 1891… 4 p.l., 104 pp. 8vo, orig. printed wrappers (spine slightly defective). [Paris]: M. Delestre & S. Mayer, [1891].

The rare auction catalogues of Bérard’s library and drawing collection, one of the most important assemblages of architecture and decorative arts of its time. An established architect, Bérard (1838-90), inherited the foundations of these collections from his father, André Denis (1806-73), who... More

168 pp. Small 8vo (164 x 95 mm.), cont. pink paste-paper wrappers (edges worn). Rome: Mordacchini, 1825.

A scarce revised and updated edition (1st ed. under this title: 1819) of this museum catalogue. It describes the institution’s paintings and sculptures, a number of which had been seized by the French during the conquest of Italy and subsequently returned.

A very good copy; some soiling and wear to the wrappers.

❧ For an account of the museum’s establishment see C. Paul, “Capitoline Museum, Rome: Civic Identity and Personal Cultivation,” in The First Modern Museums of Art: The Birth of an Institution... More

Ten folding engraved plates. viii, 368 pp. Large 4to, orig. paste-paper wrappers (a bit frayed), printed paper label on spine, uncut. Paris: Bachelier, 1821.

First collected edition and quite scarce on the market. “Coulomb’s collected memoirs on mechanics. The first of these deals with simple machines and won the Academy prize of 1779. The second is a study of friction at pivots, and the third deals with torsion and the elasticity of metal wire. In the fourth memoir Coulomb discusses man’s ability to perform work, quoting Daniel Bernoulli and d’Alembert. The fifth memoir is devoted to windmills and the force... More

Woodcut printer’s vignette on title, two engraved head-pieces, one folding engraved plate with two images (sometimes divided making two plates), & numerous engravings in the text. 4 p.l., 198, [12] pp. 12mo, cont. red polished morocco, triple gilt fillet round sides, gilt fleurons in each corner, spine nicely gilt, arms in gilt of Sébastian Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban on each cover (Olivier, pl. 343), a.e.g. Paris: the Widow of J.B. Coignard & the Son of Coignard, 1693.

Second edition (1st ed.: 1689), revised, with considerable additions. This is one of the best contemporary explications of Vauban’s “first system” of... More

Illus. throughout on blue paper. [60] leaves. Small folio (356 x 203 mm.), printed wrappers, loose as issued & held by silver rubber band. Brooklyn, NY: Trying to Press, 2020.

A handsome artist’s book recreating Spencer Finch’s massive canopy installation at a London train station.

From the preface: “The sixty pastel drawings that comprise this book were originally created for a public art project at the new Elizabeth Line station at Paddington in London.

“The entire work, titled ‘A Cloud Index,’ presents 27 different types of clouds within a single composition. The drawings were scanned and then printed onto 180... More

24 black & white with gray wash brush drawings of rocks. 25 folding leaves (including upper wrappers). 8vo (265 x 195 mm.), orig. wrappers bound in later wrappers. [Japan]: late Edo.

A finely illustrated manuscript concerned with garden rocks from the three regions (Ono, Masuda, and Yoshiki) of Hida Province (today’s Gifu Prefecture). Rocks have always played a fundamental role in Japanese garden design, and because of the unique geological history of the region, the rocks from Hida have always been prized for their unique rustic patterns that can be seen on their surfaces.

For the 24 fine images of... More

9; 6 folding leaves. Two parts in one. Small folio (365 x 256 mm.), orig. wrappers, orig. stitching. [Ch’angnyeŏng] 昌寧: [1734].

First edition, and rare, of the History of Guwanryongsa Temple, with a unique laid-in manuscript “Sangryangmun” composed on the occasion of the temple’s 1821 renovation.

“The History of the Changnyeong Gwagryongsa Temple records the entire history of the construction and renovation of the Gwanryongsa Temple…containing detailed descriptions of the origins and history of Gwanryongsa Temple, one of the eight major temples of Silla. The main text was written by Shin Yu-han 申維翰 (1681–?), the governor of Pyeonghae County, in... More

60 double-page (two have flaps) & several single-page illus., using brush & washes of many colors. 30; 31.5; 31 folding leaves. Three vols. Large 8vo (308 x 210 mm.), orig. decorated semi-stiff boards, manuscript titles on upper covers, new stitching. [Japan]: Author’s Prefaces dated 1699 & 1709; Postfaces by Nobutomo Ban dated 1813 & 1841.

A most interesting and attractively illustrated manuscript. In the late 17th century, the brother of Kotaku Hosoi, Chimei (d. ca. 1697), a samurai in service to the Koriyama fiefdom, visited the Nara area and was saddened by the disrepair of the many mausoleums, tombs, and... More