[ARCHITECTURE]. BLONDEL (François). Course in Architecture T - Lot 8

  2. Result
  3. [ARCHITECTURE]. BLONDEL (François). Course in Architecture T - Lot 8
  4. Lot n° 8 
Lot n° 8
Go to lot
Estimation :
1800 - 2500 EUR
[ARCHITECTURE]. BLONDEL (François). Course in Architecture T - Lot 8
[ARCHITECTURE]. BLONDEL (François). Course in Architecture Taught at the Royal Academy of Architecture. An important architectural treatise by François Blondel (1618–1686) accompanied by impressive engraved illustrations, including 3 allegorical frontispieces, 25 full-page plates, one large fold-out plate, and some 252 wood- or copper-engraved figures in the text. In Paris by the Author and in Amsterdam by Pierre Mortier, 1698. 5 parts in 1 folio volume (255x375 mm), full speckled brown sheepskin, spine with 6 raised bands decorated with gilt fleurons and the title in gilt on a burgundy leather patch, triple blind-stamped fillet framing the covers, gilt roulette on the edges, red edges (contemporary binding). 13 unnumbered folios, 799 pages, and 2 folios of errata, 3 allegorical engraved frontispieces, 25 full-page engraved plates by La Boissière for the first part, 1 large fold-out plate engraved by Broëbers, and approximately 252 wood- or copper-engraved figures for parts 2 through 5, some of which are full-page, a few engraved vignettes at the head of the text, numerous culs-de-lampe. Light rubbing and wear with some missing material, restoration at the top and bottom of the spine and in the corners, some foxing, more noticeable in the margins, but not serious. Second revised and expanded edition of these famous architecture lectures delivered by François Blondel (1618–1686) at the Royal Academy of Architecture, of which he was the first director. The work ensured its author’s posterity, notably thanks to the calculation of staircases, set forth here for the first time and known as the “Blondel formula.” In the context of the quarrel between the Ancients and the Moderns, the author positions himself as the theorist of classical art, systematically refutes the positions developed by Claude Perrault in Vitruvius’s Ten Books on Architecture (1673), and condemns the heretical, Italianate Baroque. A superb illustration accompanies the text, consisting of 3 allegorical engraved frontispieces, one of which is after La Boissière, depicting the Porte Saint-Denis erected in 1672 by Blondel, 25 full-page engraved plates by La Boissière, 1 large folding plate engraved by Broëbers, showing the origin of the column capitals, several engraved headpieces, and some 252 wood- or copper-engraved figures in the text, some of which are full-page. Heraldic bookplate of the Argenson Library on the inside front cover. A pleasant contemporary copy with a beautifully fresh interior.
My orders
Sale information
Sales conditions
Return to catalogue