[Rarebooks] By the master of French book illustration - La Fontaine's Fables

[Pia Oliver]

Jean de la Fontaine. Fables Choisies, Mises en Vers par Jean de la Fontaine.
Paris: Charles-Antoine Jombert, 1756, 1759.
Folio, contemporary three-quarter scarlet morocco 
over marbled boards, spine heavy gilt, marbled 
endpapers, deckled edges. Light rubbing of edges 
and the boards, else fine. Voumes III and IV (of 
four).

See images at <http://www.RandallHouseRareBooks.com/indbooks/la_fontaine.html>

La Fontaine translated and set to verse Aesop's 
Fables between 1664-1694 and Jean-Baptiste Oudry 
illustrated the work with magnificent images and 
rapidly became known for his illustrations of the 
Fables. Oudry was a French baroque era painter 
[1686-1755] who specialized in painting animal 
scenes, and is perhaps the most highly thought of 
painter of that genre. He was a pupil of 
Largillière and became court painter to Louis XV, 
recording the king's hunts in his paintings and 
tapestry designs. He was also director of the 
Beauvais and the Gobelin tapestry works.
His work, to be seen in museums throughout 
Europe, is characterized by the use of brilliant 
color. Typical of his work are Ducks Resting in 
Sunshine and Dogs Guarding Dead Game 
(Metropolitan Museum).
The tail pieces are by Lesueur and Papillon after 
Bachellier. Each engraving is within a frame and 
the title and number of the fable below. De 
Montenault, who was in charge of this edition had 
given Cochin a free hand to adapt Oudry's designs 
as he pleased, since he (de Montenault) felt they 
were not right for this book. Incredibly the 
result was a master piece and is an outstanding 
work of the French 18th-century book illustration 
of the Rococco period

The text is in French and volume III begins with 
a charming dedication in verse to Madam 
Montespan. It contains books 7 - 9 and some of 
the fables are: The Two Roosters, The Rat and the 
Hare, Women and a Secret, the Wolf and the 
Driver, The Two Pidgeons. Volume IV contains 
books 10-12, and some fables are The King, The 
Miller and the Hunter, Philemon and Baccis, The 
Two Rats, The Fox and the Egg.

[Rochambeau 86. Cohen-De Ricci 548-550]

$6,000.00      ID# 18130
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