Annulaire agathopédique et saucial, 1849. Bruxelles... Lot 336

Annulaire agathopédique et saucial, 1849. Bruxelles "imprimé par les presses iconographiques à la congrève de l'Ordre des Agath:.:, chez A. Labroue et compagnie cycle IV" [1850] In-8°: [4]-130 [= 134]-4 pp. (tear restored without loss to 3 ff., russ. to score ff.). Contemporary black chagrin, cold-stamped fillets, crowned monogram gilt in center, cold-stamped spine ribbed, gilt title, gilt stippling on edges, gilt roll on covers, gilt edges (jaws slightly split at head and tail, one corner slightly creased). In a slipcase of the same chagrin stamped with the same monogram. Unique original edition of the first publication of Les Agathopèdes, printed "in the sacramental number of 350 copies only". Not numbered. Adorned with an illuminated title showing the Order's emblematic pig armed with knife and fork, two women pampering piglets and a drunkard, as well as numerous comical in-texts, all wood-engraved by Lisbet from drawings by Louis Huard alias Grimbert [II] le Blaireau, artist and member of the Beaux-Ânes (for Fine Arts) class. All contributions are signed with pseudonyms evoking a bestiary inspired by Renart's novel: Goupil le Renard (alias Renier Chalon), Tibert le Chat (H.-Ph. Delmotte), Isengrin le Loup (Prosper Antoine Cuypers van Velthoven), Martin le Singe (Félix Bovie, painter and poet), Timer l'Âne (Hippolyte Rousselle, author of the "Bibliographie montoise"), Cloetboom le Mulet (Guillaume Gensse, head of the Forêts division at Société Générale), Rousselet l'Écureuil (Théodore Jouret, prof. of chemistry at the École Militaire), Croquemort l'Hyène (Camille Wins, lawyer), etc. The "annular" contains the Society's statutes defined by the "Bureau des Platitudes et des Éphémorroïdes", an agathopedic calendar parodying the Republican calendar with culinary terms (Huitrinaire, Crêpose, Jambonose, Truffose, Boudinal, Canardinal, Petitpoisidor....), articles on the various activities of the Bêtes-Laides class (for Belles-Lettres) or the Sciants class (for Sciences: courses in biblical agathopedics, gynofugilope construction, pinopenal legislation...). The book's typography uses Masonic symbolism. Ref. De le Court 68. - Oberlé, Bacchus, 1139. - Quérard, Sup. Litt., III:303-308. - Blavier 664. - Encyclopédie des farces et attrapes 27-32. Prov. "MDD" monogram surmounted by a count's crown. - Jean Jacobs (bookplate signed A. van Eyll, 1873).