One finely engraved head-piece. 4 p.l., LXXX pp. 8vo, attractive early 19th-century calf-backed marbled boards, flat spine gilt, orange & green morocco lettering pieces on spines. [Venice, ca. 1776].

[bound with]:

(PINELLI, Maffeo). Catalogo di Quadri raccolti dal fu Signor Maffeo Pinelli, ed ora posti in vendita in Venezia 1785. viii, 125 pp., one blank leaf. 8vo. [Venice: July 1785]. More

Cover designed by R. Fones. 85 pp. Large 4to (280 x 220 mm.), pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. [Toronto]: 1993.

An uncommon catalogue of artists’ books, multiples, audio works, video works, and periodicals. In fine condition.

❧ See “Art Metropole’s Publications and Events History with Related Ephemera, January 1971 – April 2006,“ on the National Gallery of Canada website. More

Black & white illus. (some full-page). 47 pp. Large 4to (277 x 205 mm.), pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. [Toronto: 1977].

A rare and early catalogue issued by Art Metropole, the first large-scale distributors of artists’ books and publications in North America. This catalogue offers dozens of works by European artists such as Abramovic, Beuys, Boltanski, Broodthaers, Buren, Darboven, Dibbets, Ehrenberg, Filliou, Fulton, Graham, Rebecca Horn, Hansjörg Mayer, Merz, Nannucci, Polke, Maria Reiche, Rot, Schwitters, Spoerri, Lea Vergine, Vostell, etc. Publications from Art Metropole, periodicals, records, and videos are also listed for sale, with prices. The graphic cover art comes from Rudolf Schwarzkogler’s Portfolio of the 3rd... More

Cover designed by R. Fones. 64 pp. Large 4to (280 x 220 mm.), pictorial wrappers, staple-bound. [Toronto]: 1993.

An uncommon catalogue of artists’ books, multiples, audio works, video works, and periodicals. In fine condition.

❧ See “Art Metropole’s Publications and Events History with Related Ephemera, January 1971 – April 2006,“ on the National Gallery of Canada website. More

26 pp. 8vo (208 x 136 mm.), orig. stitching with traces of scotch tape, leaves uncut. Paris: Félix & Regnault-Delalande, 1819.

A scarce sale catalogue of drawings and prints; we locate only one copy in North America. Alibert, a print dealer, died in 1803, and his shop’s stock was dissolved by Regnault-Delalande the same year (Lugt 6612); the Getty Provenance Index entry suggests that this auction consisted of property belonging to an heir of Alibert.

144 lots total, including drawings (by Boissieu, Lantara, M. S. Mérian, Palmieri, etc.), and a substantial group of Old Master and contemporary prints. More

24 pp. 8vo (202 x 127 mm.), disbound, orig. stitching strengthened with scotch tape. Paris: Delaroche & Gendron, 1814.

A scarce catalogue with nearly all prices provided in contemporary manuscript. 81 lots of paintings in total, including the works of Cuyp, van Dyck, Giordano, I. van Ostade, Potter, Raphael, Rubens, D. Teniers, J. Weenix, Wouwerman, etc.

Good copy, with a half-title fashioned in manuscript. The copy at the Frick has only a few prices recorded. Stamp of the Bibliothèque Heim on manuscript half-title. More

71 pp. 8vo, 19th-cent. paste-paper boards (corners a little worn), blue morocco lettering-piece on spine. Paris: Paillet & Hugues, 1786.

A rare sale catalogue, with most prices and buyers’ names written in a contemporary hand. Aubert (1736-85), jeweler to the Crown and a favorite of Marie Antoinette, as well as the Comtesse du Barry before, blended his craft with occasional forays into art dealing; however, his avid collecting took precedence. In the preface, Paillet (1743-1814), the expert for this sale, praises Aubert’s taste for Dutch and French pictures along with his impressive natural history cabinet.

This catalogue describes 293 lots: 79 lots of paintings (by Panini, J. Breughel, Rubens, van Dyck, Jordaens, Teniers, Wouwerman, Rembrandt, Metsu, Berghem, Netscher, van Ostade, A. Brouwer, P. Potter, Bourdon, Largillière, F. Boucher, Chardin, Greuze, Fragonard, Anne Valayer-Coster, etc.); 28 lots of drawings (by Bouchardon, Watteau, Lagrenée, etc.); 26 enamel miniatures; 38 lots of prints; 22 lots of sculptures; 38 lots from Aubert’s natural history cabinet; and 46 miscellaneous lots including vases with artificial flowers, bird-cages, rubies, cases of butterflies, etc. More

20 pp. 8vo (214 x 137 mm.), cont. blue paper wrappers (a bit worn), orig. stitching strengthened with scotch tape, uncut. Paris: Olivier & Henry, 1816.

A very scarce sale catalogue; the copy at the British Library was destroyed in World War II. Baget (1743-1821), a French general during the Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, amassed a choice collection of mostly Northern and contemporary French paintings. This sale’s expert, Henry, equivocates about the quality of the collection in the frank Avant-Propos.

The catalogue describes 131 lots of paintings, offering the work of I. van Ostade, Fragonard, M. Gérard, S. Ruysdael, Steen, Le Prince, Moucheron, J.... 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

96 pp. Small 8vo, attractive antique calf-backed paste paper boards, spine gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine.Paris: Bénard, 1816.

The rare sale catalogue of this impressive varied auction. Antoine François Piéri Bénard (fl. 1810-40), prominent art dealer and for a time marchand de la Bibliothèque du Roi, advised Eugène Dutuit on his art collecting. In the present catalogue, he thoroughly describes 504 lots. Pages 60-77, numbered separately, contain meticulously detailed and considerable group lots. These lots consist of the works of van Dyck, Hollar, Hondius, de Jode, Pontius (almost three full pages), and Vorsterman. Lots 418-75 details a selection... More

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 set up an office... More

iv, 228 pp. Small 8vo, cont. mottled calf (expertly rebacked), spine gilt, red morocco lettering piece on spine. Paris; London; Amsterdam; Brussels: 1776.

The uncommon sale catalogue of Blondel de Gagny (1695-1776), one of the greatest art collectors of the 18th century. Blondel served as France’s general treasurer and later supervised the decoration of Louis XVI’s countless parties and feasts. He was a veritable tastemaker, who revived styles and schools that had been underappreciated for decades simply by displaying them in his house which was open to visitors. The sales of his estate are momentous events in the history of collecting and... More