Beschreibung:

JAUME SAINT-HILAIRE, Jean Henri (1772-1845). Plantes de la France . Paris: Didot le jeune, Le Normant, Didot l'aîné, Firmin Didot père et fils and Firmin Didot [volume VIII] for the author, 1819-1822. 10 volumes, 4° (256 x 195mm). 6-page index bound in at the end of volume IV, 3-page list of subscribers and 15-page index bound in at the end of volume X. Lithographic portrait frontispieces to all volumes by Langlumé after Alexis Noël. 999 (of 1,000) colour-printed stipple- and line-engraved plates by Dubreuil and Veron after Jaume Saint-Hilaire. (Variable spotting and browning, light marginal staining principally affecting volumes I-IV and occasionally affecting images or text, lacking I, pp. i-iv*, plate 390 and accompanying text leaf and text leaf to plate 510, type for text to plate 864 partially inked causing loss of text.) Contemporary straight-grained green morocco gilt by René Simier, covers with gilt arms of the duchesse de Berry [Olivier 2554, fer 2, largest format], within a panel of triple gilt fillets with blind-stamped cornerpieces, borders of floral-rolls in gilt and blind and gilt fillets, gilt turn-ins, flat spines gilt and divided into compartments by double bands enclosing red morocco onlays, lettered in two, the others with central gilt red morocco diamond onlays enclosed by gilt foliate tools, gilt edges, silk markers (extremities very lightly rubbed, spines faded and lightly stained, onlaid band slightly chipped). Provenance : Marie-Caroline-Ferdinande-Louise de Bourbon Sicile, duchesse de Berry (1798-1870, arms on binding; original subscriber, cf. 'Liste des souscripteurs'; her sale, Evans, 21 March 1831, lot 806) -- some plate numbers added or corrected in an early hand, and manuscript slips inserted noting lacking plates and text -- Beriah Botfield, bought from Payne & Foss (P. & F. Acquisitions, p.81). A LARGE-PAPER SUBSCRIBER'S COPY ON PAPIER VéLIN BOUND FOR THE DUCHESSE DE BERRY, in a fine romantique binding by the royal binder, René Simier (fl.1800-1826). This set comprises first editions of vols V-X, later issues of I-IV. Plantes de la France was originally issued in parts in two series: the first of 54 livraisons forming 4 volumes under the title Plantes de la France décrites et peintes d'après nature (1805 to 1809) and the second of 60 livraisons forming 6 volumes under the title of Plantes de la France ou acclimatées en France, décrites et peintes d'après la nature (1818 to 1824). The work was issued in two formats; octavo on papier jésus at 370 francs and the present, quarto on papier vélin at 600 francs. Due to the method of publication, the contents and collation are, as Stafleu and Cowan note, 'only incompletely known to us', and the present set includes an index for the volumes I-IV, which they do not record. Arnold Arboretum 370; BM(NH) II, p.928 (1805-1824 issue); Brunet III, col. 517 (1805-1824 issue); Dunthorne 159 (1805-1824 issue); Great Flower Books p.105; Nissen BBI 989; Pritzel 4401 (1805-1824 issue); Stafleu and Cowan 3306. (10)