Paris (France)

Edition adorned with several original pochoir coloured illustrations by George Barbier, one of 65 numbered copies on Imperial Japan.
Binding in half antique rose morocco, spine in five compartments set with gilt garlands and adorned with double gilt panels decorated with gilt typographic and floral motifs, metallic paper boards, marbled endpapers, covers and spine preserved, top edge gilt XXX, elegant unsigned binding.
An attractive copy beautifully set.

First edition illustrated with 140 unpaged plates (80 in the first volume and 60 in the second) including a map of Pondichéry and 19 double plates, all drawn by the author and superbly engraved on copper by Poisson, Desmoulins, Fessard, Avril and Moliand.
Contemporary bindings in full blond tortoise-shell patterned calf, spine in five compartments richly decorated with gilt panels, lace-work tooling and fleurons, as well as the title pieces and volume labels in red and green morocco, gilt fillets on the boards, leading edges and caps, marbled endpapers, gilt roll tooling on the frames of the paste downs, all edges marbled.
Very discreet restoration to the head and foot of certain joints, some minor, scattered foxing. Plates 103 and 116 of the second volume are uniformly browned. Some plates have been bound in the incorrect order but all are present.
A magnificent work, emblematic of the Enlightenment and the encyclopaedic spirit, which helped to make Indian civilization known to the Europeans.
In 1774, Pierre Sonnerat was appointed Deputy Commissioner of the Navy by Turgot. The king then ordered him to assemble a rich collection of exotic plants and animals and sent him to far-flung horizons: India, Malaysia and China. It was on the return of this journey that he set about writing this vast account dealing with the customs, manners, costumes and ceremonies of the people encountered. The task was immense, Sonnerat took an interest in the Indians, the Chinese, the Pegouins and the Madegasse, in addition to his observations on the Cape of Good Hope, the Isles of France and Bourbon, the Maldives, Ceylon, Malacca, the Philippines and the Moluccas. To accompany his text with a neutral and encyclopaedic tone, the observer returns to his first passion, drawing, and offers his reader superb plates depicting the life of the locals and also impressive and picturesque deities.
Furthermore, much of the work has a naturalise dimension: Sonnerat dedicated 55 plates to natural history, including 29 to Chinese ornithology. His valuable research was authoritative for several years in so far as he described and drew previously unknown species.
Provenance: from Colonel Philippe Milon's library, officer and ornithologist, with his ex-libris glued to the paste down of the first volume.

First edition, one of 50 numbered copies on Japan paper.
Fine copy in double wrappers.

Les Ballades [The Ballads]Edition illustrated with drawings by Auguste Gérardin engraved by Jean Tinayre printed with 350 copies, ours is one of the 25 copies on vieux japon paper, reimposed 4to, enriched with a signed original watercolour, with a double suite of signed artist's proofs, on japon mince and on chine paper.

Bound in full brown morocco, spine in four mosaic compartments with black morocco frames and plant motifs in pine green, light green and brown morocco, boards richly mosaiced with strips of morocco in the same tones, pastedown endpapers lined with morocco inlaid with multiple mosaic frames and enhanced with gold, iridescent fabric endpapers, the following of comb-patterned paper, blind tooling on the leading edges and the spine-end, all edge gilt on wide margin. Chemise in half brown morocco with stripes and patterned paper and a slipcase of the same paper, lined with brown morocco and comb-patterned paper.
Superb set signed by Marius Michel.

Provenance: Louis Barthou's library with its ex-libris drawn and engraved by Boutet de Monvel glued on one of the endpapers.

Wonderful copy set in a spectacular binding by Marius Michel, one of the great masters of French binding.

First edition in French.
Half black shagreen binding with corners, spine with five raised bands, gilt date at foot, marbled paper boards, speckled endpapers and pastedowns, top edge gilt, illustrated covers preserved, corners slightly bumped.
Work illustrated with wood engravings by Adolfo de Carolis.
Gift inscription in ink by a former owner on the title page.