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ALMANACH ROYAL, ANNÉE M. DCC. LXXXVI.
([Paris]: D'Houry, 1786). 202 x 128 mm. (8 x 5"). 700 pp.
ELEGANT CONTEMPORARY RED MOROCCO, GILT, covers with ornate gilt frame enclosing the coat of arms of Jacques-Mathieu Augeard, marquis de Buzancy, with an onlaid green morocco oval featuring three marching geese, flanked by rampant lion on either side and topped with the coronet of a marquis, raised bands, spine compartments with central pomegranate surrounded by a lozenge of small tools, leafy sprays at corners, gilt lettering, gilt turn-ins, blue silk endleaves, all edges gilt (expert repairs to two short sections of joints, at head of spine, and one corner). Front pastedown with engraved armorial bookplate featuring a unicorn; verso of front free endleaf with morocco book label of Hans Fürstenberg; verso of front flyleaf with large engraved ticket of Larcher et Cie, the royal stationer in Paris. See: Olivier XXI, pl. 2145 (citing this copy). A hint of wear to corners and short portions of the joints, a couple of quires lightly browned, isolated small spots, but an excellent copy, clean and fresh internally, in a lustrous binding bright with gilt and showing very few signs of use.
With distinguished provenance both early and modern, this volume, published just before the French Revolution, is offered here in a very well-preserved attractive contemporary binding decorated with a gilt plaque that is likely the work of the Dubuisson atelier. Issued yearly beginning in 1700, the "Almanach Royal" contains exhaustive lists of the people and institutions involved with the French government and royal household. It comprises a directory of government officials and administrators serving every type of committee, department, and bureau, and contains, among other things, useful information such as lists of clergy, academic faculty, and doctors; the locations of post-boxes; fairs throughout the year; a calendar; a list of kings and queens of Europe. The splendid binding here was not decorated with individual gilt tools, but rather stamped with a single plate or "plaque," resulting in a densely gilt border which could be customized with a central monogram or coat of arms. The present example is not among the group of 12 almanacs with gilt plaque designs associated with the Dubuisson atelier (as noted by Rahir in his catalogue "Livres dans de riches reliures," no. 184), but the overall design, motifs, and technique are quite similar. The plaques are likely the creation of the workshop's two most prominent members, René Dubuisson and his son, Pierre-Paul (fl. 1742-62), the latter of whom became binder to the king after Padeloup. These designs continued to be in use even after father and son ceased working--a testament to their enduring popularity. The binding bears the coat of arms of Jacques-Mathieu Augeard, marquis de Buzancy (1733-1805), who served Louis XVI in unpopular governmental revenue positions (see p. 569 of the present work), and acted as a secretary to Marie Antoinette (see p. 128). According to Olivier, Augeard was "very devoted to the royal family," and even prepared an escape plan for the queen, for which he was imprisoned. Augeard's books were confiscated and lost during the Revolution, making bindings with his armorial stamp extremely rare. The present item is the only example we have been able to find, and was the one example cited by Olivier in his work. This copy was also owned by the great collector Jean (or Hans) Fürstenberg (1890-1982), who put together one of the finest libraries of 18th century books ever assembled. In 1974 the Fürstenberg collection was sold en bloc to Dr. Otto Schäfer, whose marvelous library had already become distinguished for its fine and historic bindings. This volume was sold in Schäfer's sale at Sotheby's in 1995 (lot 10), where it achieved £1,610 all in. (ST20461-5)
Price: $3,500.00