Details
VIRGILIUS Maro, Publius (70-19 B.C.). Bucolica, Georgica, et Aeneis. Paris: Pierre Didot l'ainé, 1798.
2° (470 x 343mm). Engraved frontispiece by Copia after A.-L.Girodet and 22 engraved plates, all avant-lettre (14 after F.Gérard, 6 after Girodet and 2 unsigned, all by Baquoy, Beisson, Copia and others). (Limitation leaf stained by original preservative, some light spotting.) Contemporary red straight-grained morocco gilt, covers with decorative border composed from rules and greek-key roll, the spine in seven compartments with double-raised bands, lettered in the second compartment, a thin green morocco onlay, tooled in gilt, placed between each pair of raised bands, the bands further emphasised by bordering horizontal rules, gilt turn-ins, duck-egg blue watered-silk doublures and endleaves, the doublures with a gilt roll-tool border, g.e., signed at the foot of the spine: 'PERFECTUS A JO. CL. BOZERIAN' (extremities somewhat scuffed, particularly at head and foot of spine and lower edges, small tear to surface of leather on upper cover). Provenance: George Watson Taylor (pencilled note at front, sale Evans' 14 April 1823 lot 472 sold 11gns.); Frank Linsly James (armorial bookplate).
EDITION LIMITED TO 251 COPIES, this number 3 signed by Didot, one of 100 copies with the plates avant-lettre. A fine copy. The Ray copy is also bound by Bozerian, employing the same tools, but with some additional work on the covers and a much more elaborate spine. "The first of the great folios printed by Didot at the Louvre... That Gérard and Girodet made the drawings under David's aegis has been known from a passage in Didot's preface... [it is now known] that David himself was responsible for some of the designs, his signature à pointe being replaced in the finished engravings by that of Gérard": Ray French 70; Cohen/de Ricci 1019 (incorrect plate count).
2° (470 x 343mm). Engraved frontispiece by Copia after A.-L.Girodet and 22 engraved plates, all avant-lettre (14 after F.Gérard, 6 after Girodet and 2 unsigned, all by Baquoy, Beisson, Copia and others). (Limitation leaf stained by original preservative, some light spotting.) Contemporary red straight-grained morocco gilt, covers with decorative border composed from rules and greek-key roll, the spine in seven compartments with double-raised bands, lettered in the second compartment, a thin green morocco onlay, tooled in gilt, placed between each pair of raised bands, the bands further emphasised by bordering horizontal rules, gilt turn-ins, duck-egg blue watered-silk doublures and endleaves, the doublures with a gilt roll-tool border, g.e., signed at the foot of the spine: 'PERFECTUS A JO. CL. BOZERIAN' (extremities somewhat scuffed, particularly at head and foot of spine and lower edges, small tear to surface of leather on upper cover). Provenance: George Watson Taylor (pencilled note at front, sale Evans' 14 April 1823 lot 472 sold 11gns.); Frank Linsly James (armorial bookplate).
EDITION LIMITED TO 251 COPIES, this number 3 signed by Didot, one of 100 copies with the plates avant-lettre. A fine copy. The Ray copy is also bound by Bozerian, employing the same tools, but with some additional work on the covers and a much more elaborate spine. "The first of the great folios printed by Didot at the Louvre... That Gérard and Girodet made the drawings under David's aegis has been known from a passage in Didot's preface... [it is now known] that David himself was responsible for some of the designs, his signature à pointe being replaced in the finished engravings by that of Gérard": Ray French 70; Cohen/de Ricci 1019 (incorrect plate count).