Oeuvres de Crébillon de l'Académie françoise

Collected edition commissioned by Louis XV following the success of Catilina, containing Crébillon's 9 tragedies and his academic discourses, without Le Triumvirat, which appears only in certain copies. This is the first collected edition of the dramatist's works, published under the author's supervision.

Two volumes bound as one in marbled calf, spine with five raised bands richly decorated with small gilt floral tools, triple gilt fillet border on boards, marbled endpapers and pastedowns, gilt inner dentelle, red edges. Discreet restorations to the joints, corners, and top spine-end, with some loss to the gilt tooling at foot.

Rare presentation copy inscribed by Crébillon on the verso of the frontispiece: "A Monsieur / a Monsieur de Fondferrière / par son très humble serviteur / Crébillon"

Illustrated with a magnificent frontispiece by the great painter François Boucher, who also designed a title vignette repeated for each volume, a headpiece, and a decorated initial, all engraved by Lebas.

The recipient of this inscription may be Pierre-François Rolland de Fondferrière [or Font Ferrière], a fermier général (tax collector), admitted to that office on 19 August 1751.

Crébillon appears to have been considerably less prolific than his eternal rival Voltaire in the practice of inscribing presentation copies of his works: only four other such copies are recorded, namely Monsieur de Fayolle (offered by us); to Baron Hyde (Maggs, 1930, cat. no. 540); to Lord Albemarle (Sawyer, 1966, cat. no. 272); and to the Maréchal de Brancas (Christie's, 15 May 2017).

A precious manuscript dedication - rare occurrence among eighteenth-century dramatists - on the most prestigious and lavish edition of Crébillon's works:

"The honour of being printed at the Louvre, never before granted to any of our Poets, is proof of M. de Crébillon's great reputation, and sets the seal upon it. This great man, to whom our Theatre owes so large a share of its glory, and beauties unknown on any stage in the world, sees his old age crowned by that which can most flatter a man of genius: a very fine edition of his works. Posterity, which will think as we do of M. de Crébillon, will admire after us a Sovereign who judges men as a Philosopher, and rewards them as a Prince." (Mercure de France, February 1751)

(Cohen, 89).

Provenance: "A. Naude Notaire à Aix", Antoine-François Aude (1799-1870), mayor of Aix-en-Provence; armorial bookplate pasted to the front endpaper.