CORNEILLE, Pierre (1606-1684)

Oeuvres de P. Corneille, avec les commentaires de Voltaire

[v.12: Oeuvres de Th. Corneille]

Paris: Chez Antoine-Augustin Renouard, 1817



12 octavo volumes, overall 232 x 157 mm, pages 218 x 141 mm.  One of 100 sets on grand papier vélin with the engraved plates in proof state before letters.  Contemporary red straight grain morocco, signed “Re. P. Lalande” on base of spine v.1, covers paneled with frame of gilt double rules enclosing blind leafy vine roll, blind palmette roll abutting inside edge of frame, gilt rosettes in frame corners, spines elaborately tooled in gilt and blind in six compartments (second with author, fourth with volume number), five blind-tooled bands between gilt rules and rolls, four compartments with gilt and blind abstract leaf and bush tool framed by blind rosette and horn tools, cover edges and dentelles tooled with gilt rolls, all edges gilt, green and gold silk caps, green and black patterned endleaves, blue silk marker ribbons.  Engraved portraits of Pierre and Thomas Corneille by Saint-Aubin; 23 engraved proof plates by Bosq, Devilliers, Petit, Ribault, Roger and Simonet after Moreau le jeune; engraved proof plate by Roger after Prud’hon; altogether 26 engraved plates, most with original serpents.  Printed on fine wove paper at l’imprimerie de Crapelet.  Very good, edgewear on spines and covers, light scuffing of covers, splits starting (not effecting structure) in some front endpaper gutters, infrequent foxing and paper faults (the Prud’hon plate lightly foxed); overall an excellent set.  Brunet (1838) I: 601; Cohen (1880) 95; Cohen-de Ricci (1912) 256-7; Quénard (1828) 292; Vicaire (1895) II, 1013-4.

The set collates complete, as follows:

v.1:  [2 ll.], 1 l. (half-title recto, printer’s credit verso), 1 l. (proof plate portrait of Pierre Corneille verso by St. Aubin after the bust by “Caffiery”), 1 l. (title recto), a8 = pp. [i]-xv, [1 p.], 18-288, 291 = pp. [1]-450; [2 ll.];

v.2:  [2 ll.], 1 l. (half-title recto, printer’s credit verso), 1 l. (title recto), 18-348, 356 = pp. [1]-556; [2 ll.]; 2 proof plates by Bosq and Simonet after Moreau le jeune;

v.3:  [2 ll.], 1 l. (half-title recto, printer’s credit verso), 1 l. (title recto), 18-258, 356 = pp. [1]-398; 1 l. (printer’s device verso); [2 ll.]; 2 proof plates by Roger after Moreau le jeune;

v.4:  [2 ll.], 1 l. (half-title recto, printer’s credit verso), 1 l. (title recto), 18-278, 286 = pp. [1]-442; 1 l. (printer’s device verso); [2 ll.]; 3 proof plates by Bosq (2) and Roger after Moreau le jeune;

v.5:  [2 ll.], 1 l. (half-title recto, printer’s credit verso), 1 l. (title recto), 18-258, 266 = pp. [1]-412; [2 ll.]; 2 proof plates by Ribault after Moreau le jeune;

v.6:  [2 ll.], 1 l. (half-title recto, printer’s credit verso), 1 l. (title recto), 18-308 = pp. [1]-480; [2 ll.]; 2 proof plates by Simonet and Devilliers after Moreau le jeune;

v.7:  [2 ll.], 1 l. (half-title recto, printer’s credit verso), 1 l. (title recto), 18-358, 326 = pp. [1]-506; 1 l. (printer’s device verso); [2 ll.]; 2 proof plates by Bosq and Simonet after Moreau le jeune;

v.8:  [2 ll.], 1 l. (half-title recto, printer’s credit verso), 1 l. (title recto), 18-308, 312 = pp. [1]-480; 1 l. (table recto), 1 l. (printer’s device verso); [2 ll.]; 3 proof plates by Bosq, Ribault and Petit after Moreau le jeune;

v.9:  [2 ll.], 1 l. (half-title recto, printer’s credit verso), 1 l. (title recto), 18-308 = pp. [1]-478; 1 l. (printer’s device verso); [2 ll.]; 1 proof plate by Ribault after Moreau le jeune;

v.10:  [2 ll.], 1 l. (half-title recto, printer’s credit verso), 1 l. (title recto), 18-278, 284 = pp. [1]-438; [1 l. (blank)]; [2 ll.];

v.11:  [2 ll.], 1 l. (half-title recto, printer’s credit verso), 1 l. (proof plate by Roger after Prud’hon1 1 l. (title recto), 18-408 = pp. [1]-639, [1 p.]; [2 ll.]; 4 further proof plates by Roger after Moreau le jeune;

v.12 (Th. Corneille):  [2 ll.], 1 l. (half-title recto, printer’s credit verso), 1 l. (title recto), 18-288 = pp. [1]-480; [2 ll.]; proof plate portrait of Thomas Corneille by St. Aubin; 2 proof plates by Roger and Petit after Moreau le jeune.

This superb edition, avers Brunet (Manuel), is the finest and most correct to its date, collating Pierre Corneille’s plays, discourses and poems, with the life, an eulogy, Voltaire's commentaries and Palissot's critical notes.  Its plates after Moreau le jeune derived from the original drawings in Renouard's collection. It includes notably Corneille's translation, in penitence for his preceding failures of production, of L'Imitation de Jésus-Christ, prefaced by the exquisite plate after Prud’hon, "Le Portement de Croix," 

"... très recherchée des collectionneurs de l'oeuvre du grand artiste; aussi a-t-elle disparu de bien des exemplaires" (Cohen).  The last volume contains three chefs d'oeuvre of Pierre’s brother Thomas.

Provenance: Estate of Mrs. Giorgio Uzielli, née Monique de Gunzburg

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