RACINET (Albert). - Lot 97

RACINET (Albert). L'Ornement polychrome. Cent planches en couleurs or et argent...Art ancien et asiatique, Moyen Âge, Renaissance, XVIIe et XVIIIe siècle. Recueil historique et pratique published under the direction of M. A. Racinet with explanatory notes and a general introduction. Paris: Librairie de Firmin Didot frères, fils et Cie, [1869]. -In-folio, havana half-chagrin with corners, gilt fillets, ornate spine, gilt edges (period binding). First edition of this sought-after collection of 100 chromolithographed plates presenting nearly 2,000 decorative motifs from antiquity to the 18th century, a source of prime importance for painters and decorators. This volume constitutes the first series. An additional volume, comprising a further 120 plates, was published a few years later. A good copy in contemporary binding, from the library of Madame la Comtesse de Bousies. Rubbing from use. Scattered foxing. Provenance: Countess de Bousies, with bookplate.