Les oeuvres de Monsieur de Voiture [Ensemble] Les nouvelles oeuvres de Monsieur de Voiture

Fifth edition of Voiture's Œuvres, the first of which appeared in 1648; and first edition of the Nouvelles œuvres de Voiture. A frontispiece by Mellan for the first volume, a headpiece and an initial in the epistle and a fine portrait of the author by Champaigne engraved by Nanteuil.
Contemporary full brown sheep binding. Raised spine richly decorated. Red morocco title label. One missing headcap. Tear with loss to upper joint at foot. Rubbing. Good copy.
Voiture (1597-1648) was throughout his life a gallant and a courtier, brilliant in salons and playing games. His epistolary talent earned him long popularity in France for fashionable prose, and his poetry excels in the mannered and precious tone, even though he knew how to be trivial when necessary. He is an essential figure of the literary scene of the early 17th century, a true Molière character.
Voiture is first and foremost a style, not only in his letters (Lettres amoureuses) and his poetry but also in his prose, see for example the delightful Métamorphoses. His works were in the image of the man, gallant, teaching beautiful language and fine manners to the habitués of the hôtel de Rambouillet. His fame was very great during his century and he remains an emblem for the 17th century.