Details
AUDEBERT, Jean-Baptiste (1759-1800) and Louis-Jean-Pierre VIEILLOT (1748-1831). Oiseaux Dorés ou à reflets métalliques. I. Histoire naturelle et générale des colibris, oiseaux-mouches, jacamars et promerops. II. Des grimpéreaux et des oiseaux de paradis. Paris: Crapelet for Desray, [1800-]1802.
2 volumes, large 2° (510 x 322mm). 2 pp. subscriber's list, half-titles and section titles. 190 FINE ENGRAVED PLATES, PRINTED IN COLOURS after and by Audebert, one folding, many heightened with gold with captions in gold, printed by Langlois. (Upper margin of folding plate shaved with slight loss to image, occasional very light spotting or old dampstaining, occasional small paper-faults.) Crimson morocco, gilt, covers with decorative border of triple fillets enclosing a wide classically-inspired roll, Botfield arms blocked in centre, spine in seven compartments, lettered in two, the others decorated with various flower and foliage tools, triple fillet on turn-ins, g.e., by C. Smith (spines faded to tan).
FIRST EDITION. A FINE COPY OF 'A RARE, BEAUTIFUL, AND AMBITIOUS WORK' (Mengel). ONE OF 200 COPIES WITH THE CAPTIONS PRINTED IN GOLD. The work is quite an eclectic collection and 'approaches monographic status in the modern sense only in respect to the humming-birds... and jacamars' (Mengel). The birds of Paradise form the most spectacular section. The work was issued in 32 parts over 26 months and is divided into 10 sections or sub-sections, the general title being taken from the half-titles. The text is largely by Vieillot who continued the work using Audebert's notes after the latter's death in 1800. The plates were from drawings by Audebert and 'les plus belles peintres de Paris et de Londres'. He engraved them and was assisted in the colouring by Louis Bouquet. The colour-printing process employed by Langlois was invented by Audebert, part of which involved the use of pin-hole registration marks which are visible at opposing corners of many of the plates. These pin-holes were possibly employed when printing the gold captions.
Zimmer 17; Anker 14; Mengel 93; Fine Bird Books 56; Nissen IVB 47. (2)
2 volumes, large 2° (510 x 322mm). 2 pp. subscriber's list, half-titles and section titles. 190 FINE ENGRAVED PLATES, PRINTED IN COLOURS after and by Audebert, one folding, many heightened with gold with captions in gold, printed by Langlois. (Upper margin of folding plate shaved with slight loss to image, occasional very light spotting or old dampstaining, occasional small paper-faults.) Crimson morocco, gilt, covers with decorative border of triple fillets enclosing a wide classically-inspired roll, Botfield arms blocked in centre, spine in seven compartments, lettered in two, the others decorated with various flower and foliage tools, triple fillet on turn-ins, g.e., by C. Smith (spines faded to tan).
FIRST EDITION. A FINE COPY OF 'A RARE, BEAUTIFUL, AND AMBITIOUS WORK' (Mengel). ONE OF 200 COPIES WITH THE CAPTIONS PRINTED IN GOLD. The work is quite an eclectic collection and 'approaches monographic status in the modern sense only in respect to the humming-birds... and jacamars' (Mengel). The birds of Paradise form the most spectacular section. The work was issued in 32 parts over 26 months and is divided into 10 sections or sub-sections, the general title being taken from the half-titles. The text is largely by Vieillot who continued the work using Audebert's notes after the latter's death in 1800. The plates were from drawings by Audebert and 'les plus belles peintres de Paris et de Londres'. He engraved them and was assisted in the colouring by Louis Bouquet. The colour-printing process employed by Langlois was invented by Audebert, part of which involved the use of pin-hole registration marks which are visible at opposing corners of many of the plates. These pin-holes were possibly employed when printing the gold captions.
Zimmer 17; Anker 14; Mengel 93; Fine Bird Books 56; Nissen IVB 47. (2)