GERSAINT, Edme François - Lot 53

GERSAINT, Edme François Catalog raisonné de coquilles et autres curiosités naturelles. On a joint à la tête du Catalogue quelques Observations générales sur les coquilles, avec une liste des principaux Cabinets qui en trouvent tant dans la France que dans la Hollande ; & une Autre liste des auteurs les plus rares qui ont traité de cette matière ; & une Table alphabétique des Noms arbitraires, tant François que francisés, attribués aux Coquilles par les Curieux Paris, Flahault et Prault, 1736 TWO CATALOGS OF SALES AT MARKED PRICES ORGANIZED BY EDME-FRANÇOIS GERSAINT AT THE END OF HIS ANNUAL SHELL-SEEKING CAMPAIGNS IN HOLLAND AND THROUGHOUT EUROPE (1736 AND 1737). A SUPERB AND RARE MOROCCO COPY BEARING THE ARMS OF THE DAUPHIN, SON OF LOUIS XV. ORIGINAL EDITIONS 2 works in one in-12 volume (157 x 93mm) Observations sur les coquillages (pp. 1-29) ; Liste des principaux Cabinets de curiosités naturelles (pp. 30-45) ; Liste des principaux ouvrages qui ont été faits sur les coquillages (pp. 46-61) ILLUSTRATION: frontispiece after Boucher engraved by Duflos MARGINAL ANNOTATIONS: with prices in ink for both catalogs [With] : Catalog d'une Collection considérable de curiosités de différens genres dont la Vente doit commencer le Lundi 2 décembre 1737... chez M. Gersaint [avec :] une grande quantité de coquillages rares ; des Madrépores & autres plantes marines ; des Animaux dans des phioles..., Paris, Prault, 1737 ILLUSTRATION: frontispiece after Boucher engraved by Duflos and one engraved plate (Agates Arborisées ou Dendrites) after Herisset CONTEMPORARY BINDING. Red morocco, gilded decoration, arms in the center of the boards, triple fillet, gilded edges. PROVENANCE : Louis de France (1729-1765), Dauphin, son of Louis XV and Marie Leczinska [cf. Olivier, iron 2522, no. 6] -- comte Louis de la Forest d'Armaillé (dry stamp on title page) -- marquis de Luppé Edme-François Gersaint was one of the most famous art lovers and dealers of the 18th century. Watteau painted the famous Enseigne for his store on the Pont Notre-Dame, Paris, in the autumn of 1720. The painted sign hung for several days and was much admired by the public. Today, it is one of the jewels in the collection of Frederick II of Prussia, housed in Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin. The art market of 1715-1750 witnessed the extraordinary development of a now extinct trade in naturalia (shells, madrepores, fossils, geological stones and relics, etc.). This trade continued the tradition of the great curiosity cabinets of the 17th century. The taste for this type of collecting was raging among the enthusiasts of the time, rightly referred to in each of the titles of these two catalogs as "the curious". Gersaint had made a specialty of it, and had become accustomed to scouring Europe, particularly Holland, to unearth the most famous "shells" from the most distant lands. Each year, he published a catalog of his discoveries at a marked-up price. He also took the opportunity to educate the public. By divulging the precious Liste des principaux Cabinets, he basically gave the names of his major Parisian clients (Pajot d'Osembray, Julienne, Séguin, the Duc de Sully, Dezallier d'Argenville, etc.). In this way, it stimulates the emulation of new customers. He also offers a fine panorama of the European network of this passion for shells, with the names of the most singular collections in Holland, Italy and England. Last but not least, Gersaint also provides a remarkable and select list of books devoted to shells. This list constitutes one of the very first bibliographies on conchyliology, providing new enthusiasts with a reference library. Edme-François Gersaint was particularly well introduced at Court. He supplied the House of the Dauphin, son of Louis XV, hence this binding with the coat of arms of the heir to the French throne. He is known to have designed the porcelain furniture for the famous wedding of 1745, "which he supplied to various rooms in the Hôtel de Ville during the ball given by the city last February [1745] on the occasion of the marriage of M. le Dauphin".