Jean-Jacques Rousseau
La botanique, Paris, 1805
Found at
Sothebys,
London
The Library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven Part I, Lot 190
6. May - 18. May 2022
The Library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven Part I, Lot 190
6. May - 18. May 2022
Estimate: 10.000 - 20.000 GBP
Price realised: 12.600 GBP
Price realised: 12.600 GBP
Description
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
La botanique. Paris: Delachaussée and Garnery, 1805
FIRST EDITION, LARGE PAPER COPY, folio (515 x 335mm.), half-title, title-page with stipple-engraved vignette, 65 stipple-engraved plates, printed in colours and finished by hand, by Bouguet, Jacques Chailly, M.lle Delelo, and others, after Redouté, printed by Langlois, contemporary half calf, some foxing, binding slightly rubbed
A beautifully illustrated botanical work with colour printed plates after Redouté: a large-paper copy with the plates in colour. Rousseau's Lettres élémentaires sur la Botanique was published posthumously in his Oeuvres in 1782. His interest in the subject had first been aroused in 1763 or 1764 by his enforced exile amongst the natural beauties of Switzerland. Following the current fashion, he made various collections of plant specimens or herbaria, two of which are known to have been given to Madame Étienne Delessert and her daughter Marguérite-Madeleine, for whom the letters on botany were written. This illustrated edition of the text has always been prized for its plates after Redouté. One great admirer was Ruskin, who in 1878 wrote to his bookseller, F.S. Ellis: "Please at once set your Paris agents to look out for all copies that come up, at any sale, of Rousseau's Botanique with coloured plates, 1805 — and buy all they can get." The work was issued in a variety of forms,
LITERATURE:
Dunthorne 252; Great Flower Books, p. 74; Hunt, Redoutéana 16; Nissen BBI 1688; Stafleu TL2 9688
La botanique. Paris: Delachaussée and Garnery, 1805
FIRST EDITION, LARGE PAPER COPY, folio (515 x 335mm.), half-title, title-page with stipple-engraved vignette, 65 stipple-engraved plates, printed in colours and finished by hand, by Bouguet, Jacques Chailly, M.lle Delelo, and others, after Redouté, printed by Langlois, contemporary half calf, some foxing, binding slightly rubbed
A beautifully illustrated botanical work with colour printed plates after Redouté: a large-paper copy with the plates in colour. Rousseau's Lettres élémentaires sur la Botanique was published posthumously in his Oeuvres in 1782. His interest in the subject had first been aroused in 1763 or 1764 by his enforced exile amongst the natural beauties of Switzerland. Following the current fashion, he made various collections of plant specimens or herbaria, two of which are known to have been given to Madame Étienne Delessert and her daughter Marguérite-Madeleine, for whom the letters on botany were written. This illustrated edition of the text has always been prized for its plates after Redouté. One great admirer was Ruskin, who in 1878 wrote to his bookseller, F.S. Ellis: "Please at once set your Paris agents to look out for all copies that come up, at any sale, of Rousseau's Botanique with coloured plates, 1805 — and buy all they can get." The work was issued in a variety of forms,
LITERATURE:
Dunthorne 252; Great Flower Books, p. 74; Hunt, Redoutéana 16; Nissen BBI 1688; Stafleu TL2 9688
Auction result well in line with expectations
In May last year Sothebys in London held the auction The Library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven Part I, which included the work La botanique, Paris, 1805 by Jean Jacques Rousseau. The price achieved of GBP 12,600.00 (€ 14,822.70) was within expectations - the estimate range had previously been set by the auction house as GBP 10,000.00 – 20,000.00. However, buyers have had to dig much deeper into their pockets for other works by Jean Jacques Rousseau - we have observed the highest auction result to date for the work La Botanique, Paris, 1821, with additional watercolour illustrations, the Hoe copy, which sold at auction in May last year for GBP 40,320.00 (€ 47,432.64).
Auktionsergebnis im Rahmen der Erwartungen
Im Mai letzten Jahres führte Sothebys in London die Auktion The Library of Henry Rogers Broughton, 2nd Baron Fairhaven Part I durch, in der auch die Arbeit La botanique, Paris, 1805 von Jean Jacques Rousseau zur Versteigerung kam. Der dabei erzielte Preis von GBP 12.600,00 (€ 14.822,70) lag im Rahmen der Erwartungen – die Schätzpreisspanne war von dem Auktionshaus zuvor mit GBP 10.000,00 – 20.000,00 angegeben worden. Für andere Arbeiten von Jean Jacques Rousseau mussten die Käufer allerdings auch schon deutlich tiefer in die Tasche greifen – das bisher höchste Auktionsergebnis haben wir für die Arbeit La Botanique, Paris, 1821, with additional watercolour illustrations, the Hoe copy beobachtet, die im Mai letzten Jahres für GBP 40.320,00 (€ 47.432,64) versteigert wurde.
Jean Jacques Rousseau - Auction history
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