SCHEUCHZER (Johann Jacob). Physique sacrée, ou... Lot 1112

SCHEUCHZER (Johann Jacob). Physique sacrée, ou histoire-naturelle de la Bible. Amsterdam, Pierre Schenk, Pierre Mortier, 1732-1737. 8 volumes in-folio, vellum, smooth spines, fawn titles, marbled edges (period binding). First French edition, illustrated with a frontispiece, a portrait (of 2, there is that of the engraver, but the author's is missing), and complete with 760 engraved plates, including 10 bis. Close to Leibnitz and an advocate of Newton's ideas, Scheuchzer used the text of the Bible to set out modern scientific ideas on natural science, anatomy and phenomena such as the rainbow. The illustrations were engraved under the direction of J. A. Pfeffel after compositions by Johann Melchior Füssli. The beautiful and inventive framing of the plates is by the ornamental painter Preissler, giving the illustrations a baroque character that greatly contributed to the book's success. A fine copy. Slight spotting, some corners worn, small loss at one corner of volume 2.