“This collection... contains figures of the rarest, most remarkable, and most interesting phenomena of the three kingdoms of nature, each part being devoted to one of them.” (Anker)
Premiere [Seconde] Centurie de Planches enluminees et non-enluminees representant au naturel ce qui se trouve de plus interessant et de plux curieux parmi les Animaux, les Vegetaux, et les Mineraux. Paris: chez Lacombe et chez l'Auteur, [1775]–1778–1781. By Pierre-Joseph Buchoz, folios.
-------------------
A botanical and natural history masterpiece of the 18th century, forming one of the most decorative natural history folios of the Enlightenment - exceptionally rare complete and here preserved complete including all 200 finely hand coloured plates. Pierre-Joseph Buchoz (1731–1807), a physician, naturalist, and artist from Lorraine, was one of the earliest Europeans to imitate the Chinese style in botanical illustration. His works were not only aimed at naturalists and collectors but also at porcelain and textile manufacturers, with many plates featuring pale skies, rocky backdrops, and birds or insects - a compositional approach deeply influenced by Eastern aesthetics.
This lavish work is extraordinarily rare complete, particularly with all 200 hand coloured plates. Many copies were broken up to sell the highly decorative images individually, especially those after Chinese botanical drawings and the ornithological plates.
This work includes 200 hand coloured plates in addition to 200 matching uncoloured plates for a total of 400 plates (200 unique). The plates comprise 60 botanical plates, 60 plates of minerals, rocks, and fossils, 80 zoological plates, to include 26 plates of birds. These are engraved by Desmoulins, Fessard, Vangelisti, Bacquoy, Dupin fils, and others after Desmoulins and Georges de Favanne.
-------------------
Size: 335 x 503 mm (approx., each)
Condition:
Collates as complete with all 400 plates, 200 of which are contemporaneously hand coloured, also complete with all titles and plate lists. Very bright and clean throughout with almost all plates in fine condition, a few with minor damp(?)staining as seemingly with all extant copies, one plate printed on blue tinted paper (vol 2, pl.3.dec.10). Small tear to foot of plate 3 decade 3 in volume one, not affecting plate itself, tear to bottom blank space just going through the black border and not affecting the illustration itself to plate 7 decade 7 in volume one, small red stain (watercolour) to outer blank margin of plate 9 decade 9 in volume two, paper repair to top outer corner to plate 10 part 9 in volume two (non-intrusive), else plates are generally in fine condition, bright and extremely attractive. Plate 9 decade 10 in volume two has the left hand side coloured instead of the right hand side as with all other examples, but both plates are present and in fine condition.
Modern half red morocco over marbled paper backed boards, uniform, minor shelf wear, corners slightly bumped, else externally fine. All boards are securely attached. Hinges reinforced. Bookplate attached to front pastedown in both volumes.
An excellent copy of this very rare important 18th century botanical masterpiece.
[Cleveland Herbal 528; Dunthorne 60; Nissen BBI 282, IVB 156; Pritzel 132; Sitwell, Great Flower Books, pp.82.].
Not in Hunt, Stafleu or the Plesch collection.
