Magnificent elephant folio plate book documenting Versailles's architectural and design triumphs by Charles Le Brun, "the greatest French artist of all time" according to his patron, King Louis XIV.
Very good.
Price: $9,500.00
"[W]hen that great king descends the staircase, surrounded and followed by all the princes and princesses, the spectacle is so grand and majestic that one might think all the peoples [of the globe] came thronging to this place to honor his passage" — Claude Nivelon
Initially established as a painter (and indeed named First Painter of the King), Le Brun was soon commissioned by the Sun King to design the interiors of the royal palaces. It was during this era that Versailles was transformed into the jewel of the monarchy — through the aesthetic vision of Le Brun, who oversaw it to the smallest detail. Beginning in the 1670s, the king sought to document and further boast of these projects through a series of engraved prints, known as the CABINET DU ROI. Collections of these specially printed and bound plates served as opulent gifts of state. Ultimately, the CABINET DU ROI ran to 23 volumes by 1727; the plates here derived from volume V, dedicated to interiors at the Château Versailles. As the title of this suite suggests, the star is the famous Ambassador's Staircase, considered one of Le Brun's most important works.
Read more: Brunet, Manuel du libraire et de l'amateur de livres, III.72 [9340]; Grässe, Trésor de livres rares et précieux, IV.136; Fuhring et al. (eds.), A Kingdom of Images: French Prints in the Age of Louis XIV, 1660-1715.
Paris: Louis Surugue, [1725]. Full title: Grand escalier du château de Versailles, dit escalier des ambassadeurs. Atlas folio, 21'' x 15.5''. Period style full tan calf with gilt-tooled borders and spine decoration, red morocco spine label and raised bands, speckled edges. With engraved title page, 9 engraved plates of text, and 24 engraved illustrations (6 double-page), each faintly numbered by hand. Engravings by Simonneau, Surugue, Loyer after Le Brun (ref. Brunet, Grässe). [12], [60] pages. Light rubbing and a few small spots of soil, trace bow to front board. Leaves with some faint marginal dampstaining (not affecting plates), light toning/foxing. Bright.
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