THOMASSIN, Simon.
Recueil des statues, groupes, fontaines, termes, vases, et autres magnifiques ornements du chateau & parc de Versailles. Avec les explications en François, Latin, Italien & Hollandois.
The Hague, Rutgert Alberts, 1724. 4to (23.5 x 20 cm). With the title printed in red and black, fine engraved allegorical frontispiece by Jan van Vianen, large folding engraved plan of the town and the castle of Versailles, and 218 finely engraved numbered plates, 5 of which are folding by several artists such as P. le Gros, Garnier, I. la Clerion, N. Coustous, Cornu, and more, all after the designs by Simon Thomassin, illustrating the garden sculpture at Versailles. Contemporary marbled calf. 59 pp.
€ 1,500
Second issue of the third edition on large paper of the beautifully illustrated guide to the Palace of Versailles by Simon Thomassin (1653-1732), depicting the statues, ornaments, gardens, and fountains of Louis XIV's (1638-1715) celebrated royal residence.
A renowned Parisian engraver and member of the Académie Royale, Thomassin held the prestigious title of Graveur du Roy. The work was commissioned in 1689 by King Louis XIV, to whom it is dedicated, with the aim of presenting the magnificence of Versailles and demonstrating the King's "admiration of the universe". Through its detailed engravings, the present work records the elaborate sculptural decoration and ornamental programme of the palace gardens, fountains, and grounds.
The work was first published in Paris in 1694 in octavo format and subsequently published in Amsterdam by Pierre Mortier (1661-1711) in 1695. A third edition appeared in The Hague, published at the expense of the Company, and in Amsterdam by Pierre Mortier in 1723. The present edition, dated 1724, is a new issue of the 1723 edition, issued with a different title-page.
The descriptive text is presented in four languages, making the work both a sumptuous artistic record and an important contemporary guide to the architectural and decorative splendour of Versailles during the reign of Louis XIV.
The spine is somewhat cracked, some browning and foxing throughout. Otherwise in good condition. Berlin Kat. 4212; Brunet V, 834; Graesse VII, 144; STCN 189062967 (3 copies); not in USTC.
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