An example of one of the most famous French illustrated books of the 18th century, a four vol. edition of Ovid’s Les Métamorphoses produced in Paris in 1767-71 with engraved plates after Boucher, Eisen, Gravelot and others, and in this instance bound in plain red morocco with gilt armorials to the covers and gilt decorated spines, was taken to SFr40,600 (£16,915), and there was a bid of SFr26,680 (£11,115) was a typographically exceptional and beautifully illustrated edition of Fenelon’s Les Aventures de Télémaque produced by Didot le Jeune in 1785. Handsomely bound in two volumes of red morocco gilt, probably by Cuzin, the book was printed on papiér velin produced at Annonay by two paper-making brothers who were rather tied up with other interests at the time – the Montgolfiers.
Sold for SFr147,780 (£61,585), illustrated right was an illuminated vellum Psalter, made in Paris c.1330 and containing eight large decorated intials like that shown in the illustration. In a 17th century binding, it would appear to have been first used at a Dominican house at Poissy, on the Seine near St. German-en-Laye.
Among the science books, a 1482 first edition of Ratdolt’s pioneering edition of Euclid’s Elementa, in a modern vellum binding, sold at SFr50,900 (£21,210) and among the modern illustrated items was something else which caught the saleroom unawares.
Pierre Guegen’s Kô et Kô, les deux esquimaux, of 1933 contains 13 coloured stencils by Viera da Silva – two intended to be cut-out, I believe – and this oblong folio, as other rooms have discovered before (Bonhams, for example, who sold a copy for £2200 last June), is very collectable. Valued at SFr300-400, it was sold at SFr8284 (£3450).
Ovid, Euclid and the Kôs
Sales in Switzerland A SCARCE first edition, in a ‘curious’ binding, of the Marquis de Sade’s Justine which proved a surprise star turn of a Galerie Koller auction held in Zurich on February 8, selling for a premium inclusive SFr51,168 (£22,745), was illustrated and described in an earlier issue of the Antiques Trade Gazette, but illustrated and described here are a few more of the highlights.
