Dodart, Dionys | "one of the great books in the history of botanical illustration"

Dodart, Dionys

Memoires pour servir à l'Histoire des Plantes. Paris: (by Sebastien Mabre-Cramoisy at) l'Imprimerie Royale, 1676 (colophon dated 1675)

Broadsheets (545 x 414mm). 39 very fine full-sheet engraved illustrations (unnumbered) after Nicolas Robert by Robert (28) and Abraham Bosse (11), the 35th (which depicts two species) a duplicate of the 34th, letterpress title with engraved vignette of the arms of Louis XIV, engraved frontispiece of the Académie Royale des Sciences by and after Sebastien Le Clerc and printed by Goyton, engraved historiated headpiece, tailpiece, and initial after and by Le Clerc; frontispiece remargined and evidently supplied, scattered and unobtrusive light spotting and marking, chiefly marginal, unobtrusive repaired wormtrail at foot of leaves Tt–VVu, small tear on leaf R closed just touching page number and one word, a few leaves with presswork pinholes at fore-edge margins. Contemporary crushed French morocco gilt, the covers panelled with triple gilt fillets surrounding the central gilt arms of Louis XIV (Olivier 2494, fer 10, largest format [1287 x 105 mm]), gilt "L" monogram cornerpieces (Olivier 2494, fer 21, largest format [30 x 25 mm]), treble gilt fillet border, the spine gilt in compartments, titled in one, the others gilt with medium "L" monogram tool (Olivier 2494, fer 21 [25 x 20 mm]), surrounded by gilt fleur-de-lys cornerpieces and gilt roll-tooled borders, marbled endpapers, gilt edges; covers a little rubbed, scuffed, and stained, recased with unobtrusive and skillful repairs to spine and covers.

A very good, large copy in presentation binding of the first and only edition of "one of the great books in the history of botanical illustration, where all the technical resources of engraving were utilized in presenting the plants as accurately as possible" (Hunt). Memoires pour servir à l'Histoire des Plantes was intended as the introductory volume—essentially a prospectus—for the encyclopedic Histoire des plants conceived by the Académie Royale des Sciences but never completed or formally published. This represents the first publication of the Nicolas Robert plates, which are ranked by consensus as among the finest botanical engravings ever produced.

The Académie Royale des Sciences was founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the behest of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, a favored minister to the King in many offices. A comprehensive natural history of plants was one of the first endeavors discussed by the Académie, and when the botanist Denis Dodart was elected to membership in 1673, the project was placed under his direction. The frontispiece depicts a meeting of the Académie in the Royal Library at Versailles, with Louis XIV and Colbert in attendance. This is the first published illustration of an assembly of a learned society.

The 39 engravings represent a fraction of the 361 drawings, both in black and sanguine, prepared by Nicolas Robert and others for the project, although other plates were engraved, "but always for limited and private distribution." The plates included here depict the plants at actual size, but because of the paper size, of necessity "sometimes in two pieces on the page, and paired with certain 'life-size' parts." Colbert even asserted "the superiority of engraving for rendering colors through gradations of black and white." The drawings, originally part of the King's Vellums, are now housed in Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle (quotations in this paragraph are from The Art of Natural History).

The Golden copy is one of select few in a presentation binding, including the Rachel McMasters Miller Hunt copy and the Plesch-de Belder-Von Hoffman copy.

REFERENCE:

The Art of Natural History: Botanical Illustrations … and Other Masterpieces from the Age of Exploration, ed. Heurtel & Lenoir, 48, 65; Blunt 118–119; Bridson & Wendel, Printmaking in the Service of Botany 16; Brunet II:785; De Belder sale 107; Graesse II:415; Hunt 343; Nissen BBI 502; Plesch sale 210; Pritzel 2341; Tomasi, Oak Spring Flora 168

PROVENANCE:

Christie’s London, 22 March 2000, lot 33 (undesignated consignor)