LONGUS

Les Amours pastorales de Daphnis et de Chloé, translation from Greek by Amyot. Paris, De l'Imprimerie de P. Didot l'aîné, An VIII - 1800. Large in-4, red morocco, double framed with three gilded fillets, one bordered with a rich gilded decoration in small irons forming large spandrels, blue quatrefoil charged with a gilded flowerette in the corners, large iron with a bouquet of roses gilded and mosaicked in the center, ornate spine, boxes decorated in small irons with the same blue quatrefoil repeated, interior lace, double marbled paper endpapers, gilded edges (Petit succr de Simier). Edition illustrated with 9 very fine out-of-text figures by Prud'hon and Gérard, finely engraved on copper by Godefroy, Roger, Massard and Marais. Copy with figures before the letter and captions on tissue paper, to which has been added a medallion portrait of Pierre Didot engraved by Wedgood, 4 figures by Prud'hon lithographed by J. Boilly, 5 figures by Lebarbier engraved by Roger and Hulk, and a figure by Duvivier engraved by Villerey. Remarkable binding signed by Charles Petit, mosaiced and gilded in small irons, with a highly elegant decoration. The beautiful iron with rose bouquet on the boards is the same as that used on the magnificent copy bound by Duplanil in 1834 of Les Roses de Redouté (1828 edition) in the Descamps-Scrive library (II, 1925, no. 372, reproduction) and Raphaël Esmerian (IV, 1973, no. 100); this iron, originally engraved after a drawing by Redouté, was also used by Petit on a copy of an edition of Le Roman de la Rose (cf. cat. vente Berès, V, 2006, n°639). In addition, a copy of the same book, bound by Petit with the same iron, from the Adolphe Bordes library, is preserved at the BnF. From the Genard (1882, n°520) and Earl of Birkenhead libraries, with their bookplates. Spine and corners rubbed, marks on second board.