Elemens de botanique

First edition of Joseph Pitton de Tournefort’s (1656-1708) seminal work, illustrated with three repeated engraved frontispiece titles by Cornelis Vermeulen depicting the Jardin du Roi, 451 botanical plates drawn by Claude Aubriet - who would later accompany the author on his journey to the Levant - and 5 text vignettes. Dedicatory epistle to King Louis XIV.

Three volumes bound in contemporary polished marbled calf. Raised-band spines decorated with the cipher of Louis XIV in four compartments, embellished with fleurs-de-lis, stars and botanical ornaments; red morocco lettering and numbering pieces, likewise decorated with fleurs-de-lis and sunbursts.

Royal arms stamped in gilt at the centre of each board (tool recorded by Olivier-Hermal-Roton, plate 2494, no. 10, apparently remaining in use until the beginning of the reign of Louis XV). Triple gilt fillet border to the boards, gilt roll-tooled inner dentelles and board edges, sprinkled edges. Expert restorations to the spine ends, joints and boards, a few surface abrasions, worming resulting in a small loss affecting the royal arms on the upper board of volume III, and the tool partially rubbed from the fourth compartment of the spine of volume II.

A precious presentation copy, bearing the royal arms on the boards and the cipher of the sovereign repeated on the spines, framed by corner fleurs-de-lis.

In this landmark work, Tournefort set forth a new system for the classification of plants, which met with immediate success and made a decisive contribution to the development of the botanical genus as a scientific concept. “The clarity and precision that characterise the work, together with the quality of Claude Aubriet's illustrations, the future Painter to the King, contributed greatly to the success of the classification. The botanist states in his preface: “La méthode suivie est fondée sur la structure des fleurs et des fruits. On ne saurait s'en écarter sans se jeter dans d'étranges embarras…” [The method adopted is founded upon the structure of flowers and fruits. To depart from it is to fall into the greatest confusion…] (BnF)

Such was the success of the work that Tournefort himself prepared its Latin translation, enabling his system to circulate throughout learned Europe. The second French edition would not appear until a century later, in 1797 -eloquent testimony to the enduring authority of a work that had little need of revision.

A rare copy bearing the arms of its distinguished dedicatee, the Sun King, of a work “qui ne pouvait paraître que sous Son nom auguste” [“which could appear only under His august name”] (dedicatory epistle, f. 2 verso). Stafleu, 14780.

A fine presentation copy of one of the founding texts of modern botany, further distinguished by its royal armorial binding and the cipher of Louis XIV. Tournefort's classification would remain the standard throughout Europe until superseded by the system of Linnaeus.