Lot 139
139
LA FONTAINE, JEAN. Fables choisies, mises en vers. Paris: Jombert for Desaint et Saillant and Durant 1755-59. 4 vols., folio, 417 x 284 mm. (16 7/16 x 11 3/16 in.), contemporary French cat's paw calf, covers gilt-panelled with gilt dove and flower tool at corners, spines gilt in seven compartments, morocco lettering-pieces, turn-ins gilt, g.e., joints and extremities slightly rubbed, upper joint of vol. 1 starting, small repairs to top of joints of vol. 3, upper inner hinges cracked, large repaired marginal tears to 3:Dd1 and 4:G2, approximately 6 plates with short marginal tears, occasional light mostly marginal foxing, one or two plates and a few text leaves discolored. Engraved frontispiece by N. Dupuis and C.N. Cochin, wood-engraved title vignettes and tailpieces by Le Sueur after Bachellier, 275 ENGRAVED PLATES AFTER JEAN-BAPTISTE OUDRY, engraved under the direction of Charles-Nicholas Cochin fils by Aubert, Baqouy, Cochin, Fessart, Lemire, Tardieu and others, the first Le singe et le Léopard plate (vol. III) in the first state with the banner unlettered. Cohen-de Ricci 548-550; Rochambeau 86; Ray French 5 ("one of the most ambitious and successful of all illustrated books"). (4)

Details
LA FONTAINE, JEAN. Fables choisies, mises en vers. Paris: Jombert for Desaint et Saillant and Durant 1755-59. 4 vols., folio, 417 x 284 mm. (16 7/16 x 11 3/16 in.), contemporary French cat's paw calf, covers gilt-panelled with gilt dove and flower tool at corners, spines gilt in seven compartments, morocco lettering-pieces, turn-ins gilt, g.e., joints and extremities slightly rubbed, upper joint of vol. 1 starting, small repairs to top of joints of vol. 3, upper inner hinges cracked, large repaired marginal tears to 3:Dd1 and 4:G2, approximately 6 plates with short marginal tears, occasional light mostly marginal foxing, one or two plates and a few text leaves discolored. Engraved frontispiece by N. Dupuis and C.N. Cochin, wood-engraved title vignettes and tailpieces by Le Sueur after Bachellier, 275 ENGRAVED PLATES AFTER JEAN-BAPTISTE OUDRY, engraved under the direction of Charles-Nicholas Cochin fils by Aubert, Baqouy, Cochin, Fessart, Lemire, Tardieu and others, the first Le singe et le Léopard plate (vol. III) in the first state with the banner unlettered. Cohen-de Ricci 548-550; Rochambeau 86; Ray French 5 ("one of the most ambitious and successful of all illustrated books"). (4)