Barrois l'aîné

Deluxe edition superbly illustrated with 3 engraved titles, a portrait, a frontispiece and 72 figures, 4 vignettes and 66 tailpieces, all by Le Barbier, and engraved by Alix, Baquoy, Dambrun, Delignon, Gaucher, Giraud le jeune, Godefroy, halbou, Langlois jeune, Le Beau, Lépine, Le Villain, de Longueil, Pauquet, Petit, Ponce, Taxier, Thomas, Trière and Viguet. The first plates are numbered and within frames with captions in the lower margin, the following ones bear pagination indications. Some plates are dated, from 1782 to 1792. Fine printing on vellum. 

Contemporary full green morocco binding. Smooth spine decorated with 4 cornucopia tools, and roulettes. Frame roulette on the boards. Roulette on the leading edges and interior. Pink paper on pastedowns. Edges gilt. Traces of rubbing. Darker areas on the boards of volume 2. Spine uniformly lightened. Scattered foxing.

 

New edition, the original dating from 1601, at Bordeaux.
Later late 19th century bindings in full blonde calf. Spine with five raised bands decorated with grotesque-style compartments, as well as red and green morocco title and volume labels. Triple gilt fillet on boards. Gilt fillet on leading edges and headcaps. Gilt decorative board-edges framing the pastedowns. All edges gilt. Some rubbing, otherwise handsome copy.
Fine printing from the Didot press of this classic of philosophy, which reproduces the complete text of the original.

First edition of the French translation. Translated from German by H. Jansen.
Our copy is presented in its original wrappers.
One joint cracked at foot, small tears and corner losses to covers, handsome interior condition despite very occasional foxing. This first work by Winckelmann had considerable impact in Europe by establishing the foundations of what would become neoclassicism, whose influence had much greater impact on the arts in Germany than in France. Furthermore, his reflection on Greek art helped secure the foundations of Art History.