VOLTAIRE. *The Orphan of China*. - Lot 302

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VOLTAIRE. *The Orphan of China*. - Lot 302
VOLTAIRE. *The Orphan of China*. First edition of this play, containing Voltaire’s famous refutation of Rousseau’s ideas, in a pleasant later binding. Paris, Michel Lambert, 1755. In-12, full brown sheepskin with root-stamped edges, spine with cold-stamped raised bands, title label in red morocco, date at the bottom, gilt head (later binding) xi and 72 pages, title medallion, headbands, and tailpieces. Front cover slightly warped, slight foxing on the title page, small tear repaired on page V. First edition of this work containing Voltaire’s famous refutation of Rousseau’s Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality (pp. 67–72) It also includes the dedicatory epistle to Monsignor Le Maréchal, Duke of Richelieu (pp. 3–7). First performed on August 20, 1755, the play is inspired by “The Orphan of the Zhao Family,” the only work by the 13th-century Chinese playwright Ji Junxiang to have survived to this day, which Father Prémare had translated into French. It takes place during Genghis Khan’s invasion of China, where a woman, Idamé, must make heart-wrenching choices to protect her child and preserve her people’s cultural heritage. Through moral dilemmas and personal sacrifices, Voltaire explores the nature of power, civilization, and barbarism. “Even before drafting the final version of *L’Orphelin*, Voltaire’s central idea had been to refute Rousseau’s paradox regarding the notion of progress. Voltaire emphasizes the contrast between civilization and barbarism in the famous letter of August 30, 1755, the first print of which is included in [this] first edition of *L’Orphelin*” (Dictionnaire Voltaire Hachette, p. 151). Included in the volume are several commentaries that the play elicited upon its publication: - [LA MORLIÈRE, Jacques-François Rochet de]. Analysis of the Tragedy *The Orphan of China*. The Hague, Valleyre, 1755. (43 pp.) - [LA MORLIÈRE, Jacques-François Rochet de] Letter to Madame de *** on *L’Orphelin de la Chine*. No place, no publisher, 1755. (24 pp.) - [POINSINET, Antoine-Alexandre-Henri]. Letter to an Elderly Gentleman on *L’Orphelin de la Chine* (15 pp.) A fine copy in a later binding. (Sources: Bengesco, I, 213; Dictionnaire Voltaire Hachette, p. 151)
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