Fréart, Parallele de l'architecture antique et moderne, Paris, 1650, calf with arms of Matthieu Molé

Fréart, Roland, sieur de Chambray. Parallele de l'architecture antique et de la moderne: avec un recueil des dix principaux autheurs qui ont écrit des cinq Ordres; Sçavoir, Palladio et Scamozzi, Serlio et Vignola, D. Barbaro et Cataneo, L.B. Alberti et Viola, Brulant et de Lorme comparez entre eux. Les trois ordres Grecs, le Dorique, l'Ionique & le Corinthien, font la première partie de ce traitté: Et les deux Latins, le Toscan et le Composite, en font la dernière. Paris: Edmé Martin, 1650

First edition of Fréart's survey of architectural forms from classical and modern writers. This book was one of four that he published through the Imprimerie royale in 1650-1651, shortly after the founding of the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture (1648), along with a French translation of Palladio (also printed by Edmé Martin) and the two editions of Leonardo da Vinci's Trattato della pittura in Italian and French (lots 550-552; printed by Jacques Langlois). The privilege for the four books was granted on 30 April 1650 and all four texts were suitable for the new Académie.

The engravings were provided by Charles Errard, himself a founding member of the Académie, who had encouraged Fréart to write this treatise while they were both staying with the dedicatee, François Sublet de Noyers (1589-1645) and later to have it published. Errard was also involved with providing the engravings for the editions of Leonardo's Trattato.

For another binding with the arms of Mathieu Molé, a manuscript of Leonardo’s Trattato, see lot 549.

Folio (370 x 246 mm). Roman type, 46 lines plus headline. collation: â⁶ A-O⁴: 66 leaves. Additional engraved title-page with portrait of the dedicatee (Sublet de Noyers), engraved device on title-page, engraved and woodcut initials, head- and tailpieces, engraved illustrations by Charles Errard. (Some light staining and foxing throughout, repaired tear at foot of C4.)

binding: Contemporary mottled calf (374 x 259 mm), gilt arms of Matthieu Molé on covers [Olivier 258 fer 1], spine gilt in compartments with Molé's monogram [fer 3], red speckled edges. (Binding repaired at edges, along joints and at ends of spine, joints cracked.)

provenance: Chancelier Matthieu Molé (1584-1656), arms on binding (most of his library was inherited by his son François). acquisition: Purchased in 2011 from Librairie Paul Jammes, Paris. references: Fowler 127; USTC 6006479