Beschreibung:

LA FONTAINE, JEAN. Fables choisies, mises en vers. Paris: Jombert for Desaint et Saillant, 1755-59. 4 vols., folio, 477 x 320 mm. (18¾ x 12 5/8 in.), late 18th-century tree calf, rebacked, original backstrips laid down but very worn, corners restored, rubbing and chipping to all vols., a corner of vol. 2 upper cover dented, inner hinges weak, frontispiece misbound before the "Vie de La Fontaine", table misbound before the dedication to the Dauphin, one or two short marginal tears, slight discoloration to approximately 16 plates and to some text leaves in vol. 4, 5 short marginal tears to text leaves, a few very small spots to plates . Engraved and etched frontispiece by N. Dupuis and C. N. Cochin, wood-engraved title vignettes and tail-pieces by Le Sueur after Bachellier, 275 ENGRAVED PLATES AFTER JEAN-BAPTISTE OUDRY redrawn from Oudry's sketches by nicolas-cochin-the-elder" title="Charles-Nicolas Cochin the elder">Charles-Nicolas Cochin fils and engraved under his direction by Baquoy, Legrand, Tardieu, Prévost, Chedel, Lempereur, Lemire, Cochin himself and others, Le Singe et le Léopard plate (vol. III) in the second state with the banner lettered, 209 woodcut title vignettes, with the additional engraved portrait of Oudry by J. Tardieu after V. de Largillière (included in some copies but not intrinsic to the edition). Rochambeau, Bibliographie des Oeuvres de La Fontaine 86; Cohen-de Ricci 548-50; Ray French 5 ("one of the most ambitious and successful of all illustrated books"). Provenance : James Hodson, Wigan, 19th-century armorial bookplate. (4)