LAGNIET (Jacques). - Lot 31

LAGNIET (Jacques). Recueil des plus illustres proverbes, divises en trois livres, le premier contient les proverbes moraux, le second Les proverbes joyeux et plaisans, le troisiesme Represente la vie des Gueux en proverbe. Paris : Jacques Lagniet, [1657-1663]. -3 suites in one volume in-4, 115 plates. Brown half-chagrin with corners, purple percaline boards, cold-stamped arms in center of first board, ribbed spine, gilt head (Leighton - Brewer St). Gratet-Duplessis, "Bibliographie parémiologique", 284. - Brunet III, 767. A very rare collection of popular prints, considered in particular by Duplessis "as one of the most curious and agreeable monuments to the mores of the Parisian people in the 17th century". It was published and probably partly engraved by the engraver, caricaturist and publisher Jacques Lagniet (1600?-1675); it also features the names of Esme Boulonnois and Jerôme David. Complete copies of this collection are rare, and it is not uncommon to find them enriched with other engravings edited by Lagniet and unrelated to these proverbs. The figures are enamelled with proverbs and sayings, often in the popular language of the time, providing a rich and unique picture of 17th-century manners and people. According to Gratet-Duplessis: "The execution of these figures, without offering anything very remarkable in terms of the correctness of the drawing or the finesse of the engraving, at least attests, in the artists to whom we owe them, a certain ease of composition and a naivety of expression that was perfectly suited to the subjects they had taken on to portray, and whose color they very happily indicated. Naturalness of any kind is too rare and too precious not to be mentioned. I therefore regard this Lagniet collection as worthy in every respect of a place among the best made and most select collections." The present copy includes 115 plates, 114 of which belong to the collection. They are distributed as follows: - Moral proverbs: 47 plates out of 60. Missing plates 19, 23, 34 and 51 to 60. - Joyful and moral proverbs: 37 plates out of 75. Missing plates 7, 19, 30, 35, 40, and 43 to 75. - Scatological engraving, unnumbered, entitled "Le Tableau de la vie exemplaire de ces deux amys." - La vie des gueux: 29 of 30 plates. Missing plate 17. - Plate entitled "Vev tragique d'Hollande" (additional plate not included in the collection). Copy in English binding by James Leighton (1802-1890), from the library of William Stirling. Rubbing and wear to binding. Several plates have been re-engraved, with rare damage to the edges of some engravings. Restored tears to plates 17, 40, 42 and 49 of the first part, to plates 16, 27, 28 and 37 of the second, and to plate 19 of the last. The plate entitled "Le Tableau de la vie exemplaire de ces deux amys" has been restored and lined. The additional Hollande plate has also been restored and glued. The plates are mostly soiled, especially the second one. Plate 18 of the first series has been partially colored. Provenance: William Stirling, with bookplate.