LA FONTAINE (Jean de) Lot n° 0 L14

Selected fables. À Paris, chez l'auteur, 1765-1775, vol. IV in association with Durand, Prault and Deslauriers. 6 volumes in-8, (2)-lxxi-(1 white)-100 + vi-102 + iv-95-(1 white) + (4)-134 + (4)-104 [misnumbered 1 to 49, one unnumbered, and 50 to 103] + (4)-115-(1 white) pp. engraved on copper; tortoiseshell calf, spine ribbed and floral with brown title and tomaison pieces (slightly disparate for vol. IV), triple gilt fillet framing the plates with corner finials, threaded cuts, gilt inner wheel, gilt edges; slightly faded spine, one set of split jaws on the fly. VI, a few thin wet spots in the lower margins of the vol. II, III and V, rare stains (contemporary binding). Famous edition known as the Fessard edition, La Fontaine's most richly illustrated 18th century edition. Printed on large paper with wide margins (195 x 122 mm). Volumes entirely engraved on copper, decorated with 724 compositions by Étienne Fessard based on drawings by several artists including Claude-Louis Desrais, Charles Monnet and Jean-Baptiste Le Prince. The text was engraved by Montulay and Drouet. Without the dedication sheet to Madame de Montespan which is sometimes found in the flight. IV. Either, "out of text", on ff. not included in the above collation, 244 plates stamped on the recto alone: 2 of dedication (Princes du sang in volume I and Duke of Burgundy in volume VI), 238 each illustrating a fable, 2 of portraits (Ésope and La Fontaine in volume I), and 2 each illustrating an epilogue. "In the text", on the ff. included in the above collation, 480 vignettes, 10 of which are full-page: a full-page false title (on the back of the title of Volume I), 6 full-page titles, 244 headbands and 229 culs-de-lampe (3 of which are full-page). Provenance: E. Robert (old ex-libris stamp on the title pages); then the Pierre Berès bookstore (ex-libris stamp on the upper back cover of volume I).